Firm pays smallholders
The National, Monday July 21st, 2014
By SHIRLEY MAULUDU
THE New Britain Palm Oil Ltd has paid more than K600,000 to smallholders in Northern last month, group chief financial officer Amir Mohareb said.
Mohareb said the payment was made to the 4758 smallholders who supplied fresh fruit bunches to the Group’s Higaturu oil mills last year.
He said the smallholders included in the sustainability premium bonus payment hailed from Sorovi, Saiho, Ilimo, Aeka, Kokoda and Igora.
He said the Higaturu operation, including all NBPOL operations in the country and the Solomon Islands, was a certified supplier of sustainable palm oil under the roundtable on sustainable palm oil (RSPO) guidelines.
He said as such, the group received a small premium from its customers on the sales of the sustainable palm oil.
A total sum of K2.58 million was paid to the group’s smallholders in both PNG and the Solomon Islands.
“Given the smallholder growers have contributed to the certification, this premium is shared with the smallholders in recognition of their efforts in meeting and maintaining the criteria required by the RSPO for certification.
“This bonus is paid annually and apart from Higaturu, NBPOL pays this bonus to smallholders in West New Britain, Ramu, Milne Bay, Poliamba, in New Ireland and Guadalcanal, in Solomon Islands as well.
“The payment is based on each individual smallholder’s yield performance.”