By Suleman Chitera
Community leaders in Chikwawa District have expressed confidence in Press Cane’s recovery efforts following the January effluent spill and welcomed the company’s expanded investments aimed at boosting local economic opportunities.
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The remarks were made during a community engagement meeting between Press Cane and the community that brought together traditional authorities, group village heads, and other community representatives who toured company operational sites to assess environmental rehabilitation works, improvements to the pond system, and ongoing expansion projects.
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The meeting provided an update on environmental rehabilitation measures, operational safety improvements, and future development plans.
Speaking at the meeting on Wednesday at the company premises at Dyeratu in Chikwawa, Senior Chief Maseya said communities were satisfied with the progress made in addressing the environmental incident and strengthening safety systems.
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“We are happy, and we have seen for ourselves that most of the issues have been addressed such as the maintenance of ponds.” he said.
He added that continued collaboration between Press Cane and local communities remains important in ensuring that development projects deliver tangible benefits to residents.
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“We appreciate this engagement and hope the good relationship between Press Cane and the communities continues. If this cooperation continues alongside planned developments, communities will benefit greatly,” he said.
Press Cane Limited Chief Executive Officer Bryson Mkhomaanthu said the meeting demonstrated growing trust between the company and surrounding communities, following updates on recovery work and new investments.
He said the engagement was part of ongoing efforts to demonstrate accountability and share progress made since the January incident.
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“We have shown them what we have done since the incident in January up to now. They are satisfied and convinced that we have put in enormous effort to ensure such an incident becomes a thing of the past,” said Mkhomaanthu in an interview after the meeting.
He added that Press Cane has gone beyond rehabilitation work and is now investing in long-term environmental and industrial solutions, including waste-to-value technologies that will convert industrial by-products into biogas, bio-fertiliser, and carbon dioxide.
“These initiatives will not only improve environmental management but also create new value from waste,” he said.
Mkhomaanthu also announced plans for the construction of a new sugarcane crushing plant, which is expected to increase ethanol production capacity from 15 million litres to 27 million litres per year upon completion.
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He said the expansion will significantly benefit local farmers, with most of the sugarcane expected to be sourced from surrounding communities.
“We need them as a community because most of the sugarcane will be produced by them as farmers and they have a ready market here at Press Cane,” he said.
One of the community leaders, Lovemore Jambo, also commended PressCane for the engagement meeting and urged continued cooperation between the company and surrounding communities to sustain progress and shared benefits.
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“We are happy that today we had an engagement with Press Cane. It was a productive dialogue,” he said
