Interior Ministry to use straw bales to reduce air pollution created by crop burning
The Interior Ministry has signed a memorandum of understanding with Siam Kubota Corporation and the Rang Jorakhe district administration office in Ayutthaya province under a “Straw Bales for Zero Burn” campaign aimed at reducing air pollution, especially PM2.5 dust particles, that are caused by farmers burning their leftover crops to prepare for the next cultivation season, Deputy Interior Minister Nipon Bunyamanee said on Tuesday.
“Under this campaign, Siam Kubota will provide rice harvesting machines that are capable of making rice straw bales to selected farmers in Ayutthaya so they no longer need to burn their fields after harvest,” he said.
“The straw bales will be sold to Siam Cement Group, which will use them as biomass fuel in their cement manufacturing factories.
“The straw bales, when used as fuel, produce lower emissions than fossil fuels and therefore help reduce greenhouse gas and lessen the environmental impact,” Nipon said.
“Furthermore, under this project, farmers will earn extra income from straw bales instead of burning their fields, which is not only dangerous and environmentally hazardous but also a waste of time and marketable materials,” he added.