Feronia

Feronia is an agribusiness operating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). At the heart of Feronia lies a long established palm oil business, Plantations et Huileries du Congo S.A (“PHC”), a company incorporated under the laws of the DRC, which has three remotely located plantations; Lokutu, Yaligimba and Boteka When Feronia acquired 76.17% of the shares of PHC from subsidiaries of Unilever plc on September 3, 2009, the three plantations had suffered from years of under-investment and considerable disruption caused by conflict in the DRC. Feronia’s initial focus has been on rebuilding the business and resuming production to secure its future and the livelihoods of the 3,800+ people it directly employs and the many more thousands of jobs its presence in the regions creates. This process has included the rehabilitation of palm oil mills at the Lokutu and the Boteka plantations and the construction of a new palm oil mill at the Yaligimba plantation which commenced operation in October 2013. The Company has also rehabilitated the internal road systems, implemented a substantial replanting program replacing less productive palm trees over 25 years old with new trees, and is in the process of rehabilitating and expanding its social infrastructure.Feronia’s plantations produce crude palm oil (CPO) and palm kernel oil (PKO). CPO is part of the staple and traditional diet of the Congolese and, with Feronia’s products sold locally in the DRC, the Company is well placed to help decrease reliance on imports and increase food security and quality.Feronia prides itself on being the guardian of its 106 year-old palm oil business and its employees, communities, and environment. It has a long term commitment to improve the living and working environment of its employees and their communities and is committed to sustainable agriculture, environmental protection and community inclusion. Feronia has in place an Environmental and Social Action Plan (ESAP), which was jointly developed with CDC Group plc, one of Feronia's key shareholders, and is focused on implementing environmental and social best practice and improving social infrastructure. Feronia is working towards certification by the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and is implementing IFC/World Bank standards for environmental and social sustainability. Its oil palm replanting programme is brownfield in nature – replacing old palms with new – and it has no reliance on deforestation. Feronia is listed on the Toronto Venture Exchange and is the first African agribusiness to be listed on a North American stock exchange.