Kindling interest in straw fuel schemes
Print Edition
FARMERS in Fengxian District are being offered an eco-friendly way to dispose of straw, following the introduction of a law banning them from burning it.
The district is trialing offering subsidies to companies that collect straw from farmers and turn it into fuel.
Burning straw has been banned in Shanghai since October as part of new legislation to improve air quality. Anyone caught flouting this can face a fine of up to 200 yuan (US$32).
Huangyu Bio-Technology Co Ltd in the district started taking rice straw from farmers this autumn, collecting, bundling and removing it.
Collected straw is then pulverized and made into fuel particles.
Each mu — about 667 square meters — of rice can produce about 600 kilograms of straw, and Huangyu pays 0.2 yuan per kilogram.
“We don’t need to expend a lot of effort and can earn extra money at the same time, which is a very good deal,” said Ren Xiangjun, who earned 18,000 yuan selling 150 mu of straw.
Ren, who signed his contract this autumn, said other farmers are also showing great interest in the initiative.
Shao Guofei, who is in charge at Huangyu, said the company used wood as the raw material in the past. Working with local farmers means the company can have cheaper materials and a stable supply, Shao said.
“It’s a win-win situation,” he added.
Authorities are now offering a subsidy of 200 yuan per ton to companies that collect and treat straw to encourage this eco-friendly way of straw treatment and curb burning and the random disposal of straw.
11 villages benefiting
In Fengcheng Town, a major agricultural town in Fengxian, about 3,000 tons of straw was collected this autumn, with 1,200 households in 11 villages benefiting.
No cases of straw burning or other disposal have been reported there this harvest, officials said.
Helicopter inspections by the Shanghai Environmental Protection Bureau, the Shanghai Agriculture Commission and the Shanghai Public Security Bureau located 70 straw burning incidents in Chongming County and Fengxian, Jinshan, Jiading, Qingpu districts and the Pudong New Area.
As well as fines for culprits, violations affect district officials’ year-end bonuses.
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