The first shipment of Heilongjiang rice donated by the Li Ka-shing Foundation to aid relief efforts in Anhui and Yunnan was sent on August 4th using a six-car freight train.
On July 24, the Foundation had announced in Hong Kong the donation of 2,100 tonnes of rice worth over HK$12 million to Anhui and Yunnan provinces to help one million residents respectively affected by the flood and the earthquake in those areas. At present, this is the largest private disaster relief effort in the nation.
Staff of the Foundation and Hutchison Whampoa Group have been working around the clock to pack and deliver the rice to affected areas as early as possible. The first shipment to Fuyang was delivered overnight, and another 100 tonnes of rice were shipped to Yunnan on August 5th. More rice and provisions will be sent to other areas in the Anhui province.
A spokesman for the Foundation points out that the 210 tonnes of rice represents the entire rice production of the Heilongjiang region for this year. “Rice has always been a staple food for the Chinese people. By donating rice, the Foundation hopes that it will be the fastest and most direct way to benefit the victims. Mr. Li Ka-shing and the Hutchison Whampoa Group are deeply concerned about the well-being of our compatriots on the mainland and hopes the donation of rice will help ease their suffering during this difficult period,” she said.
This massive relief effort was the result of the cooperation of Hutchison’s many mainland companies, who joined hands to bring the rice and other provisions to victims as expediently as possible.
The “Pik Heung To” brand of rice is managed under H.L.J. Hutchison Whampoa Agricultural Development Company Limited, and is cultivated in the black rich soil of Qiqihier of Heilongjiang. With the protection of natural resources at the habitat, Pik Heung To can guarantee its quality as a healthy green food.
Over the years, Mr. Li Ka-shing has donated over HK$160 million to aid disaster relief efforts in China, including the East China flood in 1991, the South China flood in 1994, and Yunnan earthquake in 1996, and Yangtze river flood in 1998, the snow storm in Inner Mongolia in 2001, and the flood in western China last year.
04 Aug 2003