In 2015, FMO provided a long long-term loan facility to Plantations et Huileries du Congo S.A (PHC), a palm oil business operating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (the DRC).
PHC produces crude palm oil and palm kernel oil for domestic consumption. PHC is owned by multiple shareholders. The business currently consists of three palm oil plantations in Boteka (circa 4,000 Ha), Yaligimba (circa 8,000 Ha) and Lokutu (circa 8,000 Ha) which are all in remote areas of the DRC. The business supports the livelihoods of over 100,000 people through direct and indirect jobs.
Measured in November 2021 PHC’s workforce consisted of 6462 people, of which 10% was female and 56% was under 40 years old. The majority (77%) of the workforce is plantation based, 11% are millworkers and the remaining 12% fulfil administrative and related (medical, security) duties. PHC is the largest private sector agribusiness employer in the country. The agriculture sector, given its ability to create large numbers of jobs outside the main cities, is a key priority area for the Congolese government.
Huileries du Congo Belge was founded in 1911 by Lever Brothers (Unilever) to supply palm oil to its Port Sunlight soap factory in the UK. In 1997, the name was changed from Plantations Lever au Zaire to its current name Plantations et Huileries du Congo Sarl (PHC).
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