Hargy Oil Palms turns 40

By MALUM NALU
Hargy Oil Palms in West New Britain this week commemorated its 40th anniversary (April 28) with the release of a hardcover book.
The book is written by Glenn Armstrong and features the work of acclaimed Papua New Guinea photographer Rocky Roe.
It is the second such collaboration between Armstrong and Roe, who in 2015 produced the book, The Tonda, a beautiful 112-page hard cover book that depicts one of the most remote and pristine environments in Papua New Guinea in Western.
This latest book, Forty Years: stories of hope, hardship and success, focuses on the growth of Hargy since 1978 and adds yet another good book to my PNG collection.
It features photography by Roe and includes interviews with employees, workers, stakeholders and landowners who speak of the contributions made by the entire community in making Hargy Oil Palms what it is today.
The book also includes a concise history of the company and the fascinating story of how Lake Hargy got its name – from where Hargy Oil Palms derives its own name – and a legacy and commitment to the community that continues to this day.
Hargy Oil Palms derives its name from Lake Hargy, a volcano caldera – a largely undisturbed montane, tropical forest ecosystem identified by the California State University as having “significant biological-conservation value of both flora and fauna”.
The university has conducted a number of field trips to the caldera, and has earmarked it as a “special conservation area in PNG”.
The lake itself takes its name from Major Fred Hargesheimer, who recalled his experiences in a book The School That Fell from the Sky, first published in 2002.
Hargesheimer, who died in 2010 at the age of 94, was a World War II US Army pilot whose rescue by the Nakanai people of West New Britain led to a life of giving back as a builder of schools and a teacher.
He was a P-38 pilot with the Eighth Photographic Reconnaissance Squdron, who was shot down by a Japanese fighter while on a mission over the Japanese-held island of New Britain.
He parachuted into the jungle, where he barely survived for 31 days until local hunters found him.
They took him to their coastal village, and for seven months hid him from Japanese patrols, fed him and nursed him back to health.
In February 1944, with the help of Australian commandos working behind Japanese lines, he was picked up by an American submarine off a New Britain beach.
After returning to the United States following the war, Hargesheimer married, but said he could not forget the Nakanai people, whom he considered his saviours
Through the Airmen’s Foundation, and with the support of Hargy Oil Palms, he has supported the development of schools and education in the area.
But back to Hargy Oil Palms Ltd, which celebrated 40 years of production in PNG with a staff and community function held in Bialla, West New Britain, on April 28.
“A function held that day marked the actual 40th anniversary of the first annual general meeting of the company,” said general manager Graham King.
“At the same time, the company also held its 41st annual general meeting, attended by the board of directors.
“The first AGM of Hargy Oil Palms Ltd was held on April 28, 1978.
“At that time the shareholding included SIPEF, Warren Plantations and the Government of PNG.
“In the same year, milling operations commenced with 954 tonnes of crude palm oil produced from a temporary mill.
“The following year saw output increase to 3000 tonnes.
“The company has reached a number of milestones in its 40-year journey.
“A major milestone in the company’s development came in 1980 when the new Bialla mill was commissioned.
“By 1983, 23,888 tonnes of crude palm oil was being produced, 57 per cent of which was derived from the operations of smallholders.”
Another significant milestone came in 2003 when the PNG Government sold its 50 per cent shareholding to Belgian company Société Internationale de Plantations et de Finance (SIPEF).
SIPEF was incorporated in 1919 with its head office in Belgium.
The company has developed into an agro-industrial group with production and export facilities in Asia, Oceania, Africa and South America, where it manages important plantations of traditional crops such as rubber, palm oil and tea.
Over the years, palm oil has become its primary source of revenue and an important focus of efforts in developing sustainable and environmentally friendly opportunities in the countries in which SIPEF currently operates with its partners and stakeholders.
SIPEF plays a decisive role in the management of companies in which it holds a majority stake or those it controls together with other partners.
This role includes active participation in the boards of directors of these subsidiaries as well as monitoring the management and operation of these companies. SIPEF strives to transmit its agronomic experience and management techniques to the local management.
“SIPEF’s involvement in Hargy Oil Palms has been pivotal to its success,” King said.
“Under SIPEF’s guidance, Hargy has achieved ISO 14000 certification and now complies with international standards for environmental responsibility through the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil.
“Last year alone 557,017 tonnes of palm fruit were processed at Hargy’s three mills resulting in the export of 154,587 tonnes of palm oil: crude palm oil 141,315mt and crude palm kernel oil 13,273mt).
“There are over 3700 smallholder families that have planted 14,100 hectares.
“Smallholders contribute 42 per cent of total production.”
Hargy Oil Palms Ltd chairman François Van Hoydonck said the parent company SIPEF was extremely proud of the achievements of Hargy Oil Palms.
“Hargy Oil Palms Ltd provides direct employment to approximately 4,500 people, with another 3,700 smallholder families benefitting from our knowledge, processing and access to markets,” he said.
“More than 60,000 people are dependent on oil palm within the area served by Hargy Oil Palms.
“Hargy Oil Palms Ltd currently produces close to 160,000 tonnes of segregated certified sustainable palm and palm kernel oil, all exported to Europe – and millions of people throughout the world benefit from end products derived from our palm oil.
“The contribution of Hargy Oil Palms in a very demanding operating environment in West New Britain province is remarkable.
“Hargy Oil Palms also participates actively in its community.
“In November last year we opened the Pata-Painave Primary School, a project in which Hargy Oil Palms partnered with the Australian government and the Government of Papua New Guinea, in providing new facilities that will benefit many people in a very remote corner of East New Britain.”
Happy 40th anniversary Hargy Oil Palms.