03:41 PM EST - SFK Pulp Fund : reports that the acquisition of two American fibre mills last year has given the Company the opportunity to establish a solid position in the growing recycled paper market. The two mills, one in Fairmont, Va., and the other in Menominee, Mich., produce recycled bleach kraft paper. Andre Bernier credits the acquisitions with helping to bring first-quarter sales up to $134.5 million, an increase of $72 million when compared to the same quarter a year ago. SFK operates a mill in St-Felicien in the Lac-St-Jean region, about 250 kilometres north of Quebec City, where pulp production remained substantially at the same level as last year. Andre Bernier, the Company CEO said in an interview that there is "a strong trend in North America" to products with recycled content, which includes paper. "A lot of governments, agencies, companies, public or private, have come out with policies that they intend to use 10, 20 and 30 per cent of recycled paper," he said. "That means paper producers are going to need to use recycled fibre and they will have to purchase recycled pulp." Bernier said the acquisitions will position SFK "very well in a growing market and the strong trend towards more recycled content." SFK Pulp Fund
units SFK.UN:CA are trading unchanged at $5.00.
