Photo: NBPOL New Office Headquarters
New Britain Palm Oil Limited has established and opened its new corporate office complex in the West New Britain Province.
The new NBPOL Group headquarters was officially opened in a ceremony witnessed by dignitaries including Oil Palm Minister Francis Manake and Minister for Trade and Investment Richard Maru.
The K20 million facility is situated at Mosa in the Nakanai district of West New Britain. NBPOL's chairman, Mohammed Abdul Wahab, stated that the new facility is a testimony to the company's commitment to the Agriculture sector in the province and Papua New Guinea.
NBPOL is the largest private sector employer in the country and is also the largest agribusiness operator in PNG.
Oil Palm Minister Manake, also MP for Nakanai district, in his keynote address at the opening ceremony commended NBPOL's contribution to the sector in the province and the country.
"I commend NBPOL for the standard that it has set, it has allowed us to enjoy the respected reputation on the international markets for oil palm,” he said.
"I also want to commend NBPOL for ensuring throughout the years in meeting its social obligations and maintaining high standards of environmental sound practices in the province and the agriculture sector.”
"So with this new office complex the company is now in a better position to manage its business portfolios that it is growing and expanding in the country," Minister Manake said.
Minister for Trade and Investment Maru said the government is ready to enhance a partnership with New Britain Palm Oil Limited to address development issues.
Mr. Maru highlighted that the partnership will focus on areas such as addressing law and order, power generation, and downstream processing of oil palm into finished product such as high quality cooking oil for the country's domestic market.
The minister said he wants a greater partnership between NBPOL and the government for a “win-win situation” for both entities.
He said the new headquarters in Kimbe signals to the government that NBPOL is here to stay in the long term and that it is honouring its commitment to the industry, the government and its people.
“The National Government is ready to commit resources into the tax credit scheme to address law and order issues in West New Britain Province. All we need is the province and the company to partner and work together with to reduce crime in the province,” said Mr. Maru.
He added that downstream processing was also a key priority of the Marape-Rosso Government.
"We cannot continue to import cheap and unhealthy cooking oil when we have the resources and technology here. I strongly appeal to the Board and Management of NBPOL to refine the palm oil further into high quality cooking oil in Kimbe or in Lae. Let us go down this path and Government is ready to assist to make this a reality," said the minister.
"We also do not want any more importation of sugar. The Government provided a twenty-year infant industry protection to sugar in the hope to replace all imports, but we are still importing sugar. This cannot go on. The industry should be expanded by increasing our growers or planting more sugar -- that is what the Government would like to see in our country," added Mr. Maru.
He emphasized that the new office should establish the start of a new era of enhanced relationship, one that is based on partnership between the national government and the provincial government that hosts all investments.
Meanwhile, Minister Maru said NBPOL must be thoughtful of the host province Kimbe as they have the customary right to benefit from oil palm by being involved and having shares in order to benefit from the industry.
Therefore NBPOL must anchor its future on the back of its social license to make certain that the landowners are benefiting as well as the host province.
