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Mansur told PPI Asia News that IP delegates have visited Indonesia’s Ministry of Forestry twice, once in February and again for a follow-up meeting in March, in which the firm expressed an interest in investing in Indonesia.
He said that IP is looking at two thinly populated locations for developing a pulp mill and plantations, one in central Kalimantan, on the island of Borneo, and other in Papua province.
Marsur added that the company told the ministry it would spend six months conducting survey on the scheme, before making a decision about whether to proceed.
The APKI chairman indicated that with IP’s budget and the planned size of the plantations, it would be able to build a pulp mill with a capacity of 2 million tonnes/yr. The plantations would take seven year to be mature enough for harvesting. So, IP might start construction work on the pulp palnt in the fifth year after establishing plantations, he added.
Mansur said this is the first time in many year that a big international player has shown an interest in invest in Indonesia’s pulp and forestry industry. Although no formal agreement has been signed yet by IP and Indonesia government, the APKI chairman described the potential investment as inspiring.
He pointed out that if IP decided to go ahead with the paln, it will encourage other foreign companies to invest in Indonesia, which would help improve the country’s economy and create job opportunities.
A spokesman at IP Asia said the firm has been looking all over the wotld for expansion opportunities, and that the feasibility study in Indonesia is part of its ongoing plans.
He added that it can be tough to obtain sufficient land in foreign countries to develop platations and buil pulp and paper mills, and that is usually takes several years just for research into projects and to reach a decision an an investment.
But the spokesman declined to elaborate on IP’s plan for Indonesia.
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