CPL grass paper plant in full swing

By MALUM NALU

THE City Pharmacy Group’s paper-making project at Gerehu Stage 6, Port Moresby, is progressing well since its launching last November, The National reports.
The paper-making technology, which uses kunai grass and banana stems, is a not-for-profit initiative designed to help improve livelihoods in the rural communities.

CPL Group of of Companies employee Bona Aluafo shows a sheet of paper that is made from kunai grass and banana pulp at Gerehu Stage 6, Port Moresby. The paper is already used for wrapping at Stop N Shop shops in the city.-Nationalpics by MALUM NALU

CPL is currently in the process of selecting villages to get involved in this project with focus on more women involvement.
The project was established last September with the assistance of a Nepalese non-government organisation, Asia Network for Sustainable Agriculture and Bioresources.
A group of residents at Gerehu stage 6 had been trained to make paper using kunai grass,
Since then, the project has also been turning banana stems into paper.
The technology is very simple, with the kunai and banana stems chopped up, boiled, put in a beating machine where it is pounded into mash, poured into a frame, and then placed in the sun to dry out as an A2-sized piece of paper, which could be bleached or kept in its natural colour texture.
Gerehu resident Bona Paike recalled that last year, the community was informed by CPL about a man from Nepal who would teach them about making paper from kunai.
“The man asked us if we wanted to learn about making paper and we volunteered,” he said.
“There were seven of us who started off, with only five of us staying for the training.
“I’m very much enjoying this.
“We have so much kunai and bananas and we have to make use of it.”
CPL marketing manager Prue Go said the locally-produced paper had been put on sale at City Pharmacy and Stop N Shop stores since December.
The shops also used them for wrapping.
“We started selling it at City Pharmacy and Stop N Shop stores, especially during the holidays,” she said.
“People have really embraced the product as their own … they are really amazed when they found out that this is locally-made paper.”
Go said the vision of CPL chairman Mahesh Patel was for the company to take the technology out to the villages and teach the people how to make paper, which would then be sold at CPL stores and they keep the proceeds from the sales.
“We will be introducing this to some villages and communities, starting with Port Moresby,” she said.
“CPL is also very much into women enhancement programmes and this is something we would like to teach women.”

Prime Minister calls on investors to show commitment

By MALUM NALU

PRIME Minister Peter O’Neill last night called on investors to show genuine commitment as PNG’s development partners, The National reports.
He was at the launch of Oil Search Ltd’s multi-million kina Oil Search Health Foundation at the Gateway Hotel in Port Moresby.
The foundation will employ more than 80 people, a budget of more than A$24 million (K48 million) in its first year of operations and work in nine provinces of PNG.
The project represents a long-term commitment by Oil Search to make a positive difference to society.
Oil Search managing director Peter Botten said PNG had been good to the company and it wanted to put something significant back into the country.

Prime Minister Peter O’Neill and Oil Search managing director Peter O’Neill at the launch of the Oil Search Health Foundation at the Gateway Hotel in Port Moresby last night.-Nationalpic by MALUM NALU

O’Neill said establishment of this registered non-government charity sends out an important message to all existing and intending investors, especially in the extractive natural resources sector of our economy.”
“That message is for investors to show genuine commitment as our nation’s development partners and being appreciative corporate citizens by truly delivering their share of social and community development obligations.
“In a nutshell, Oil Search seems to be saying to other investors and businesses to give something back to the nation that hosts their successful businesses.
“That is a good message.
“Our government and our citizens will always be grateful to the companies that give some social or community service back to the communities in which they operate – even if these were just token obligatory services.
“These obligations, including assisting in development and provision of basic life support services, are honourable.
“Our citizens need services such as clean water supply systems, rural electrification, upgrading roads and bridges, and other community needs in resource project development areas.”
O’Neill admitted that the government could not meet all the needs and obligations of the people.
Botten said PNG had been good to Oil Search.
“It has provided the vast majority of our people, and almost all of our assets, over many years of hard and dedicated work,” he said.
“Oil Search has grown with it, and been part of it, the fabric of the country, since 1929.”
Botten said as PNG went through massive economic and social changes, Oil Search as a major corporate entity in the country needed to be assisting in managing the huge challenges that these changes represented, and one such way was though the health foundation.
“We have also built upon our relationships with government, the National Department of Health, the skills and capacity of donor agencies and agencies such as the Global Fund, AusAid, Asian Development Bank, MMV and others to work towards a new private/public partnership,” he said.
“This is a new way of utilising respective respective skills between the private sector, government and NGOs, in order to make a positive difference to the communities in which we work.”

CPL group posts K19.13 million net profit

By MALUM NALU

City Pharmacy Ltd Group, Papua New Guinea’s biggest retailing network, on Tuesday announced an after-tax profit of K19.13 million as it celebrates its 25^th year of operations in the country.

Chairman, Mahesh Patel, announced the profit when presenting CPL’s 2011 annual report and audited financial statement during a media briefing at the group’s head office at Gerehu Stage 6, Port Moresby.

CPL Group of Companies hydroponics supervisor, Morea Gau, shows lettuce that is grown at the company's hydroponics farm at Gerehu Stage 6, Port Moresby, and sold at Stop N Shop supermarkets around the city.-Picture by MALUM NALU

The profit is an 86.81% increase from the K10.24 million it recorded in 2010.

A dividend of 5t per share plus a bonus of 2t per share has been proposed, and after approval at CPL’s annual general meeting on April 26, will be paid in equal tranches in May and July 2012.

The report shows that sales increased by 27.57% to K321.77 million, group assets increased from K70.81 million to K85.78 million, return on equity increased from 14.46% to 22.30%, and operating expenses to turnover increased by 0.5% due to unprecedented costs.

Patel said while there had been contribution from the LNG project to some extent, CPL had experienced unprecedented increases in property rental cost, security costs, and other operating expenses.

He gave full credit to the 2,182 staff and management of CPL, who he said had contributed immensely to the success of the group in 2011.

“We had probably one of our best years last year,” he told reporters and representatives from the finance sector.

“Our challenge now is to beat last year.

“We’re fairly confident that we can keep on growing, the way the economy is growing.”

CPL highlight for 2011 included:

• ·         Its customer engagement strategy – Real Rewards Plus – was rolled out into the stores in electronic format;

• ·         A refurbishment of its Lae pharmacy and relocation of the pharmacy at Port Moresby General Hospital;

• ·         Opening of a second pharmacy in Madang;

• ·         More cost-consciousness;

• ·         Appointment of John Woolfield as general manager; and

• ·         A commitment to long-term sustainable growth and pursuit of strategic opportunities.

Patel said with continued economic growth in PNG, CPL was confident that its strong and solid returns would continue in 2012.

“We will continue to strengthen our medium to long-term position during the year through capital investments – budgeted at K7.25 million – in our core business and via new growth opportunities,” he said.

“We will also look at expansion overseas to leverage our scale and international sourcing capabilities.

“We will continue our focus in promoting and helping PNG farmers to bring produce to market…we are planning a produce collection and cold store depot in Port Moresby, which will have sorting, cleaning and packaging facilities.

“The pharmacy division will add new branches – a second outlet in Kokopo and a new outlet in the highlands region in 2012.

“The supermarket division is exploring an additional new outlet in Port Moresby and a major revamp of our biggest outlet in Waigani Drive.

“Our joint-venture operations of Hardware Haus continue to grow from strength-to-strength and we will see greater profits in 2012.

“We will continue exploring opportunities that the LNG project will bring.

“Our much-delayed cinema project has started successfully in February, and we are looking at additional sites in Port Moresby and around PNG.”

CPL plans biggest supermarket in PNG

By MALUM NALU

The CPL Group, PNG’s largest retailing network, is looking at running the “biggest and best supermarket” in Port Moresby and Papua New Guinea, chairman Mahesh Patel said yesterday (Tuesday).

CPL chairman Mahesh Patel at yesterday’s presentation of its annual report and audited financial statement.-Picture by MALUM NALU

He revealed CPL’s ambitious plans when presenting the group’s 2011 annual report and audited financial statement at its head office at Gerehu Stage 6, Port Moresby.

Steamships Group of Companies will be building the supermarket at the Port Moresby Transport yard, just next to CPL’s Waigani Central Stop N Shop supermarket, and then leasing to CPL.

“We’re going to build the biggest and best supermarket in the country,” Patel said.

“It’s a multi-million dollar project that will take about 20 months to complete.”

Patel said Steamships had already given a contract to Fletcher to clear the land and build the supermarket.

“We project that we can open in Christmas 2013,” he said.

“Steamships own the land, they build, and we lease it.

“We will sign a 15-year lease.”

Patel said the new supermarket would be twice as big as CPL’s flagship Stop N Shop at Waigani Central, which has an area of 2,500 square metres.

He said it should not be compared to Vision City, which was a mega mall, as this would be a stand-alone supermarket.

“This thing (new supermarket) will be 5,000 square metres,” he said.

“It will be twice the size (of Waigani Central supermarket).

“It’s located where the Pom Trans (Port Moresby Transport) site is.

“There will be a few specialty stores.

“We’re looking at a number of new initiatives.”

CPL has established five strong retail brands: City Pharmacy, Stop N Shop, Hardware Haus, BonCafe and HomeMaker.

It opened in the first quarter of this year Paradise Cinema - PNG’s very first multiplex cinema which in on the third floor of Vision City. 

In 2011, the CPL Group had a combined retail operations of 54 stores nationwide which employed over 2,000 staff, of which 95% were Papua New Guineans.

Its retail network spans health and beauty chains, grocery, hardware stores, coffee shops and now a multiplex cinema.

Warder faces jail sex charge

By JUNIOR UKAHA

THE female warder under investigation for having paid sexual encounters with a notorious criminal inside prison has told investigators she had financial problems, The National reports.
 Police have charged prison officer Rose Kambluage Filoua with one count of official corruption.
Filoua, who is married, has admitted having sex with serial bank robber William Nanua Kapris on 15 occasions inside prison.
She told police she visited Kapris under the pretext of providing him welfare assistance.
Another female warder is suspected of being a lookout while Kapris and Filoua had sex in the toilet of the prison’s welfare rehabilitation office.
National Capital District metropolitan commander Supt Peter Guinness said police should be laying another 14 charges against Filoua because the sexual encounters were committed on different dates at Bomana Prison near Port Moresby.
It is understood that some senior officers at the prison had been aware of the affair for some time but did not inform prison authorities about it.
Police believed that more warders and a lot of money were involved in the jail sex syndicate which had been happening for over a year.
Guinness said others involved in the matter would be questioned by police.
Acting Correctional Services Commissioner Martin Balthasar said Filoua admitted having financial problems which forced her to have the affair with Kapris.
She had boasted to her colleagues that she had married a “millionaire inmate”.
Kapris and his gang are awaiting trial robbing Bank of South Pacific branches in Kerema (May 2008) and Madang (July 2008) which netted almost K4 milion.
Only a small portion of the money was recovered.
Kapris had been jailed previously for a number of other serious crimes.
Balthasar said Kapris would pay Filoua “large sums of money” after their sexual meetings in jail. Police said Kapris’ wife knew about the affair.
Balthasar said Filoua also faced charges relating to serious security breaches under section 176 of the Correctional Services Act, an offence that carried a maximum sentence of two years.
He said two other female officers were picked up by prison and police officers yesterday and questioned about the affair.
“She (Filoua) has been suspended but, technically, she is on the payroll as it takes two to three weeks to do the paperwork to stop her pay,” Balthasar said.
Guinness said Filoua was refused bail and kept at Boroko police cells as the case was serious and that others implicated were yet to be questioned.
“At the moment investigators are following the money trail. We are tracing the bank account where she was allegedly getting her money from,” he said.
Guinness said Filoua would have her day in court.
“I know it is embarrassing for her family but what she did was morally and ethically wrong,” he said.
“She did not do it once but on numerous occasions and was lured by money.”

Oil Search to spend K4.3 billion in 2012

By BOSORINA ROBBY

OIL Search Ltd will be spending up to US$2.1 billion (K4.3 billion) on investments in PNG alone this year, which will make it the country’s single largest investor during the year, The National reports. Managing director Peter Botten said yesterday that this was a very significant investment by Oil Search shareholders.
Last year, Oil Search posted a net profit of US$202.5 million (K420 million), reflecting the rise of oil prices and lower exploration expenses.
“So (this is) a very solid investment record in the country overall, but this year is our biggest ever,” Botten said.
He said a lot of money was being spent on the LNG project, rejuvenating oil fields, finding new oil, carrying out exploration and appraisal work and drilling.
Drilling was also being carried out in the Gulf of Papua for the first time in many years.
From the 2011 financial reports released this year, this investment reflected the company’s confidence in the government and continued operating stability, as well as its ability to manage in-country challenges, including the forthcoming elections.
It also reported that the cost of the ExxonMobil-led PNG LNG project had increased its initial value of US$15 billion (K31 billion) to US$15.7 billion (K32.5 billion) due to the impact of currency fluctuations.
This strong performance had placed Oil Search in a good position to launch a long-term commitment to assist the National Health Department through the implementation of malaria, TB, HIV/AIDS and maternal and child mortality projects within its impacted areas.
Botten said the Oil Search Health Foundation would become an independent body to run these projects by end of this year.
He said their participation in this area would be logistics, finance and experience in working on the ground in a private-public partnership, as well as managing donor monies for these programmes, using existing infrastructure.
“With the LNG happening and revenues coming, the future lies in us and the critical role we have in providing something back to PNG,” Botten said.
He said OSL was also concerned at the spread of benefits from resource-rich provinces to others, which was the core goal of the health foundation

Oil Search forms health foundation

By MALUM NALU

OIL Search Ltd has created a new charity, Oil Search Health Foundation, as part of its social obligation for better health services in Papua New Guinea, The National reports.
 Managing director Peter Botten yesterday gave the media a sneak preview of the foundation as Oil Search prepared for its launching at the Gateway Hotel in Port Moresby tomorrow evening.

Oil Search managing director Peter Botten…excited about the company’s health foundation.-Nationalpic by MALUM NALU

He said US$5 to US$7 million (K10 million to K14 million) would be spent each year by the foundation starting with 10 provinces: Southern Highlands, Hela, Gulf, Enga, Western Highlands, Jiwaka, Chimbu, Madang, Morobe and National Capital District.
“We want to expand this programme across the country,” Botten said.
“The programmes we are doing are world-class programmes in conjunction with the Department of Health.
“This is a long-term commitment that Oil Search is taking.
“The Health Foundation is a critical part of us being able to provide something back to the country.
“As PNG goes through major change, it becomes more and more important for government and developers to work together.”
The foundation is a non-profit, registered charity created in collaboration with the National Department of Health and various major donors, including Global Fund, to provide a platform for the management and delivery of community health initiatives within PNG, primarily focused on  HIV/AIDS management, malaria control and child and maternal health.
AusAid and Asian Development Bank will also be partners and will utilise the services of non-government organisations such as Susu Mamas and Igat Hope, as well as church groups to deliver health services.
It will build upon Oil Search’s community programme success and to ensure that ongoing management and funding continue to strengthen the public health care systems in PNG.
Oil Search Health Foundation manager Ross Hutton said the company had about 20 years experience in providing health services to its employees in Southern Highlands and Gulf provinces, and would work closely with national and provincial health authorities on this new initiative.
The foundation will be the operating platform for the “National Expansion Initiative” and would enable Oil Search to channel necessary funds and resources into achieving the ultimate objective of improving public health across PNG.
Oil Search will collaborate with the Department of Health, World Health Organisation, and other health authorities in the country to ensure the initiative complements national health plans and programmes.
An independent board of trustees would facilitate attraction of international donor and joint venture funding.
The trust will maintain its own bank account and accounting records and will be subject to annual external audit.