Following the completion of two roads built for Lonshi village, Sabwe launched another scheme for local community – maize planting. On July 22, Zeng Haipeng, Executive Vice President of Sabwe, together with the Chief of Kipilingu District and members of Lonshi Community Development Committee attended the groundbreaking ceremony for maize project.
For the sake of livelihood of local residents, Sabwe offers to plant maize on a scale of 400ha (100ha/annum for the next four years) at Lonshi to address the problem of food shortage faced by nearby communities, while creating jobs for the villagers.
The first 100 hectares of maize to be planted this year are in the heart of the Lonshi, Laule, Miriashi and Lucele-Sabwe villages. Foremost works involve land clearing and trenching, which is expected to take around three months in view of the stretching forest on the surface, therefore large equipment will be required. The initial investment is estimated to be nearly US$500,000. Upon readiness of the land, seeds, fertilizers and pesticides will be procured by Sabwe as needed to ensure maize yield, while technical training programs offered to the villagers to maintain the sustainability of high yield.
At the groundbreaking ceremony, on behalf of JCHX, Zeng said that the maize planting scheme is not merely an agricultural project, but a significant initiative by JCHX and Sabwe to enable the sustainable development of local community in the hope of solving the food shortage problem while increasing the employment and improving the living standards for the villagers. Sabwe also plans to introduce further agricultural technologies and resources to help them realize the dream of self-sufficiency.
Chief Kipilingu expressed his sincere gratitude to Sabwe for actively practicing social responsibilities, in which he specifically mentioned that this project will bring new opportunities for Lonshi community. And he expected that the members of the Community Development Committee as well as the villagers would fully cooperate with and support Sabwe, to successfully implement this project, to plant the seeds of "friendship" and "hope", and to bring more beauty, harmony and prosperity to the community.
