PT Bukit Asam Tbk (PTBA) received the Gold category award at the 2024 Bisnis Indonesia Social Responsibility Awards (BISRA) in Jakarta on Thursday, June 27, 2024.

This award was granted in recognition of PTBA’s Eco Agrotomation Program, a social innovation that encourages environmentally friendly, automation-based plant cultivation to support reforestation and reclamation programs.

Eco Agrotomation program was also designed to meet the local community’s vegetable and fruit needs, thereby supporting the concept of sustainable food in Muara Enim Regency.

"We are both proud and grateful for this award. Of course, this appreciation further motivates us to continue contributing to environmental conservation and community empowerment, especially around the operational area," said Niko Chandra, PT Bukit Asam Tbk (PTBA) Corporate Secretary.

PTBA's Eco Agrotomation Program empowers farmers in Tanjung Karangan and Keban Agung to establish nurseries on unproductive land. PTBA works with farmers to provide planting media and seeds, as well as to cultivate plants. PTBA also provides regular training and assistance to the farmers.

Plant cultivation is made simpler by the automation system. Farmers can now monitor and manage their crops more easily by accessing a monitoring dashboard that is linked to a smartphone. Standard measurements are used to automatically water and fertilize.

The energy source for this automation system is based on renewable energy, Solar Power Plants, thus it reduces emissions from the plant cultivation process and also lowers daily operational costs.

The plant seeds produced from this activity are not only used by PTBA for reclamation activities, but also by a number of other companies who have participated as buyers.

"PTBA always implements the principle of sustainability in our business activities. This commitment is an important aspect in Bukit Asam's efforts to provide continuous energy to the country, which aligns with our vision to become a world-class energy company that cares about the environment," said Niko.

The 2024 BISRA Award is dedicated to companies in Indonesia who have made a significant contribution and commitment to improving the quality of human life and the environment through their Social & Environmental Responsibility (CSR) programs.

The 2024 BISRA Award, themed "Paving the Way to Sustainable Business: Innovation in CSR", aims to provide education about effective, broad and sustainable CSR management.