Monrovia — Barely a month after farmers, charcoal producers and workers filed a complaint of abuses against Buchanan Renewable, known as BRE, to Overseas Private Investment Corporation ("OPIC") an Investor to BR, to investigate human rights and environmental abuses by BR, Another complaint from some citizens of Sinoe has been filed to the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), an overall body of Palm Oil Worldwide, to stop Golden Veroleum Liberia(GVL) ongoing operations of land clearing in their towns and villages.
Despite the order to cease all operations placed on GVL, by RSPO nearly a year ago, the multi Billion Dollar Oil Palm Company operating in Sinoe, until issues of human Rights are addressed, the company is allegedly clearing farmland in other parts of Sinoe without meeting the requirement of the concession law.
Golden Veroleum (Liberia) Inc., a subsidiary of the Verdant Fund Lp whose major investors include Golden Agri- Resources Ltd entered into a concession agreement with the Government of Liberia for the development of oil palm plantation in Sinoe, Grand Kru, Maryland, Rivercess and River Gee Counties in Southeastern Liberia.
The signed and ratified concession agreement which was awarded to GVL covers a total of approximately 500,000 acres (220,000 hectares). A Liberian smallholder program is to develop 100,000 acres (40,000 hectares) of oil palm in support of local Liberia oil palm initiatives.GVL has decided to initiate this large-scale oil palm plantation by beginning with the cultivation of 33,000 ha of land in three districts of Sinoe.
In a complaint filed dated February 17, 2014, addressed to Mr. Ravin Krishnan, Complaints Coordinator of Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil in Bangsar Kuala Lumpur Malaysia, citizens of Kulu, Shaw, Nyarn and Plahn towns and villages complained that as a member of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, Golden Veroleum has an obligation to adhere and comply with and implement the RSPO standards and procedures including rights of local communities to their customary land and their right to give or withhold their Free Prior Informed consent that GVL has not met. A potion of the complaints now in the possession of this paper, reads as follows;
Mr. Ravin Krishnan,
Complaints Coordinator
Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil - Bangsar
