Our Operations
NUMBER 1
in the DRC
3
22.8%
Number 1 producer of Palm Oil in the DRC
3 operating sites
across the DRC
Extraction rate
increased to 22.8% in 2023
Palm Oil Production
Palm oil is used in over 50% of supermarket products. With rapid urbanisation and population growth, the production of palm oil will be essential to meet rapidly increasing global demand for food.
PHC is the largest producer in the DRC, specialising in the production of Crude Palm Oil (CPO) and Palm Kernel Oil (PKO). 100% of PHC’s palm oil is consumed locally, helping to ensure food security and supporting economic growth.
PHC supports the palm oil value chain from start to finish. At our CREATY research and experimentation centre, we produce high-quality seeds, which are cultivated and harvested at our plantations across the DRC. These oil palms are then processed into crude palm oil and palm kernel oil, which are sent to our refineries to be transformed into essential household products.
Palm Oil Production Process
Research
CREATY produces tenera variety seeds which are used accross our plantations: Boketa, Yaligimba, Lokutu.
Plantation
PHC’s plantation teams harvest the oil palms and maintain the blocks and Fresh Fruit Brunches (FFB) are transported to the mill.
Mills
The mills converts FFB into crude palm oil and palm kernel oil, with the waste from the extraction process used as biomass to generate electricty to power the plants or converted into organic fertilizer.
Transportation
The crude palm oil and palm kernel oil are loaded onto barges and transported to customers in Kinshasa.
Distribution
PHC’s customers refine the oils and transform them into household and industrial products for domestic consumption.
Our Sites
PHC has been operating in the DRC for over 100 years through three large plantations in Lokutu, Yaligimba and Boteka. Each mill produces crude palm oil and palm kernel oil, and all our production is sold locally for Congolese consumption.
Established in 1911, Boteka is the oldest and smallest of PHC’s plantation.
Comprising two estates – Bofalamboka and Boteka – Boteka is approximately 6,000 hectares, of which 3,700 hectares are used to grow oil palms. The Boteka site is located in the Equateur province, approximately 120km from the city of Mbandaka.
Rehabilitated in 2011, the Boteka plant is the oldest of PHC’s plants. It is also PHC’s smallest plant, with a production capacity of 15 tons per hour. Like PHC’s other plants, the Boteka plant is powered by a steam turbine and a biomass boiler that reuses the plant’s waste—a true testament to the power of green energy.
Established in 1920s, Lokutu is PHC’s largest site in terms of area and employment. Comprising four dispersed estates – Irumu, Ngungu, Lokumete, and Mosite – the Lokutu site has approximately 63,000 hectares, of which 14,000 hectares are planted with oil palms.
Inaugurated in February 2021 , the Lokumete mill is the largest and most modern of PHC’s palm oil mills. Designed and assembled by a predominantly African team, the Lokumete mill features the latest technological equipment in palm oil processing. It is powered by a steam turbine and a biomass boiler that recovers the mill’s waste, equipment with which the mill is 98% self-sufficient using green energy.
Established in the 1930s, Yaligimba is PHC’s most recent plantation, with around 8,000 hectares of oil palm planted across a 30,000 hectare site.
Located in the Mongala province, the Yaligimba site is 60km from the town of Bumba and comprises three estates – Yaliambi, Yaetima, and Bokombe.
The Yaligimba mill, which was rehabilitated in 2013, has a production capacity of 30 tonnes per hour, powered by a steam turbine and a biomass boiler that reuses the plants waste. The Yaligimba mill’s processing system allows PHC to create two main products, crude palm oil and palm kernel oil, as well as secondary products such as fertilizers that are sent back to the plantation to supply the palm groves.
