Portucel Soporcel Group Pursues Forestry Venture In Mozambique And Builds Up Sales Presence

Portugal, Aug 31, 2011, The Portucel Soporcel is exhibiting again at the 47th Maputo International Trade Fair
(FACIM), the largest trade event with an international dimension in Mozambique.

FACIM’2011, which opens today (29 August) and continues through to 4 September,offers the Group an opportunity to consolidate its presence on this market and to make direct contact with its customers in Africa, and especially in Mozambique.FACIM’2011 will feature more than 200 Mozambican companies and more than 29 foreign exhibitors. The event is being held for the first time in the Marracuene district, on the outskirts of Maputo, and, as in previous years, AICEP Portugal Global is in charge of assuring a strong Portuguese presence at the fair.
As part of its development venture underway in Mozambique, the Portucel Soporcel group is currently engaged in fieldwork and in conducting forestry trials.

This project is set to encompass operations over a concession area corresponding to 173 thousand hectares in Zambezia, expected to be complemented by a further 220 thousand hectares in the Province of Manica.This is a project which will be implemented over the time scale appropriate to a capital venture of this type, and is expected to have a significant impact on the business fabric
of the country.

The Group incorporated the company Portucel Moçambique in late 2009 in order to implement the project.By taking part in this year’s FACIM, the Group’s aim is not only to provide information on its forestry venture in the Mozambican market, but also to raise the local profile of its internationally prestigious Navigator and Discovery brands, which already enjoy a high level of consumer awareness in the country, helping to build a perception of the Portucel Soporcel group as a supplier of premium products to Mozambique.

About the Portucel Soporcel group

The Portucel Soporcel Group is one of Portugal’s strongest players on the international stage.The new paper mill has had a significant impact on the Portuguese economy, positioning the Group as the leading European manufacturer of UWF printing and writing paper and the 6th largest producer in the world. This has placed Portugal at the top of the European ranking of countries manufacturing this type of paper. The Group is also Europe’s leading manufacturer,and one of the largest producers in the world, of bleached eucalyptus kraft pulp (BEKP).The Portucel Soporcel group is one of Portugal’s three leading exporters, and possibly the exporter generating the most national value added. The Group accounts for more than 3% of Portuguese exports.

The Group currently boasts production capacity for 1.6 million tons of paper, 1.4 million tons of pulp (of which 1.1 million is integrated into paper) and power generation of 2.5 TWh, adding up to annual turnover approximately of 1,400 million euros.The Group has successfully pursued a strategy of innovation and development of its own brands, which today account for 60% of sales of manufactured products.

Special mention should be made of the Navigator brand, the world’s best‐selling product in the premium office paper segment. The Group’s sales are made to more than 100 countries in five continents, with Europe and the United States as the two main destinations.The Group manages woodlands occupying some 120 thousand hectares and is committed to improving and protecting Portugal’s forests. Its sustainable management model has been certified under the internationally recognized FSC® and PEFC™ schemes.