airasia grocer kickstarts We-Beleaf Together initiative in Sabah

The initiative aims to raise awareness towards climate change, food sustainability and responsible production as well as consumption of fresh produce

 (Middle) YB Datuk Seri Panglima Dr. Jeffrey G. Kitingan, Deputy Chief Minister ll cum Agriculture and Fishery Minister of Sabah and airasia grocer Chief Operating Officer, Lalitha Sivanaser together with volunteers from Kelab Belia Prihatin at the launch of We-Beleaf Together initiative in Sabah last week.

airasia grocer, the online grocery platform, is kickstarting the We-Beleaf Together (WBT) initiative together with Kelab Belia Prihatin (KBP) in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah last week.

Led by KBP, the initiative seeks to work with the youth of Malaysia including a total of 5,500 volunteers and 11,000 children aged four to six years old to create awareness towards climate change, food sustainability and responsible production and consumption of fresh produce.

As part of the initiative, airasia grocer will be providing seeds of Chinese Mustard and mustard leaf as well as guava and banana saplings for the planting activities at Tabika Perpaduan Kepayan Barat, Tabika Perpaduan Kepayan Ridge, Tabika Perpaduan Taman Jumbo, Tabika Perpaduan Terawi and Tabika Perpaduan Ramayah in Sabah. By providing both seeds and sapling, airasia grocer and KBP hope to educate the students on the growth journey of these plants and help create a healthier, more stable climate, as well as inspire them to take positive action on environmental conservation.

The initiative was launched by YB Datuk Seri Panglima Dr. Jeffrey G. Kitingan, Deputy Chief Minister ll cum Agriculture and Fishery Minister of Sabah; Lalitha Sivanaser, Chief Operating Officer of airasia grocer; as well as volunteers from Kelab Belia Prihatin from Universiti Malaysia Sabah.

YB Datuk Seri Panglima Dr. Jeffrey G. Kitingan, Deputy Chief Minister ll cum Agriculture and Fishery Minister of Sabah said: “I’m pleased to see the private sector such as airasia continues to support Sabah to accentuate green economy and sustainable growth, in line with the aspiration and commitment of the State Government to ensure Sabah’s environmental and food security needs are met in the long term.

“I’m also hopeful that this initiative can open the market for Sabahan products to the world, further driving growth for the rakyat.”

airasia grocer Chief Operating Officer, Lalitha Sivanaser said: “Kick-starting the project in Sabah is meaningful to airasia - historically, we have worked closely and maintained a very positive relationship with the Sabah state with the main aim to help contribute towards the development of the Sabah community through various travel, logistics, e-commerce and agriculture initiatives.

“Inculcating agriculture awareness, especially at a young age is something we’re passionate about. We believe that with the right education and sustained support structures, we will be able to rejuvenate interest in agriculture among the youth.

“We’re also in the midst of an important balance switch currently present in our relationship to the environment. Having witnessed the dire effects of climate change, the next generation of Malaysia is coming together to bring hopeful, transformative solutions toward environmental and food sustainability.”