Kenya: BAT to Invest Sh7.5 Million on Tree Planting

Source from:  Nairobi Star 03/29/2011

BAT Kenya will invest Sh7.5 million in replenishing the country's forest cover according its head of communication and corporate social responsibility, Selena Olende. The funds, she said, will be channeled through its more than 5,000 contracted farmers in key growing areas in Nyanza, Western and Eastern provinces."The Company promotes self-sufficiency in wood resources throughout the country, placing an emphasis on planting ecologically-suitable, fast growing species. This is a significant step towards achieving the target of foresting 10% of Kenya's land mass," Olende said yesterday. She said the company's strategy is to reduce the impact of its activities on wood consumption and global warming in tobacco growing areas. To minimize over reliance on wood fuel and encourage the use of alternative sources of energy, BAT Kenya's Green Leaf Threshing (GLT) Plant in Thika has initiated a pilot project to use briquettes made from tobacco waste and sugarcane bargasse to cure tobacco. Enditem