Pulp and paper company April given till end of month to resubmit 10-year work plan
Asia Pacific Resources International Ltd (April) can resume forestry operations at its Indonesian pulp and paper subsidiary, government officials said on Tuesday (Oct 24), amid a dispute over environmental rules. April halted forestry operations at PT Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper (RAPP) and said thousands of jobs were at risk after the Indonesian environment ministry rejected its long-term work plan. One of Asia's biggest pulp and paper firms, April has been in talks with the government over the re-zoning of roughly half of its 480,000ha of plantation areas that sit on peatland. "(RAPP) was never forbidden from operating," Environment and Forestry Ministry secretary-general Bambang Hendroyono told reporters, referring to discussions on the company's work plans that had been under review since May. Click Read More below for additional information.