Straw Innovations launches the Philippines’ first Rice Straw Bioenergy Hub to reuse farm waste

THE PHILIPPINES’ first Rice Straw Bioenergy Hub was officially launched in Pila, Laguna on Oct. 7, bringing together national leaders, local officials, international partners, and farmers to showcase groundbreaking solutions that transform rice straw from waste into valuable products.

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The event was attended by the Economic and Climate Counsellor Lloyd Cameron of the British Embassy Manila, Regional Executive Director of the Department of Agriculture (DA) Region IVA Fidel L. Libao, Chair of the Committee on Agriculture for the Province of Laguna, Hon. Karla Adajar-Lajara, representatives from other DA agencies, institutional partners, farmer leaders, and local government officials from the province of Laguna.

The Hub demonstrates how rice straw, an abundant but often wasted byproduct of rice farming, can be transformed into valuable products such as renewable energy, biochar, and soil amendments. This innovation offers solutions to some of the Philippines’ most pressing challenges in rice farming: open-field burning, greenhouse gas emissions, high production costs, and low farmer incomes.