Paddy Straw

• It is the crop residue left after harvest of paddy. It is majorly set on the fire after the harvest.
• Burning of paddy straw releases greenhouse gases, air pollutants, particulate matter like elemental carbon and smoke that strongly impacts human health.
• Burning of crop residue leads to loss of nutrients and affects soil fertility.
• The crop residue can be used to extract the biomass (organic matter) which can be used in industries of packaging, flooring, furniture, energy, and much more

INDUS Forum

• INDUS Forum is an online community to establish partnerships between India and the Netherlands. 
• The aim is to stimulate and realize sustainable and inclusive partnerships between Indian and Dutch companies.

Why in the news?

• • The Government of Andhra Pradesh, Government of the Netherlands, and Grameena Vikas Kendram Society for Rural Development (subsidiary of INDUS Forum) have signed an MoU and initiated a program called WASTE TO WORTH. 
  • ‘Waste to Worth’ strives to create a circular business model for paddy straw and other biomass-based upcycled products in India and prevent release of greenhouse gases emission caused by biomass burning.
• A circular business model ensures that materials are retained within productive use, in a high value state, for as long as possible. Circular business models serve to reduce the extraction and use of natural resources and the generation of industrial and consumer wastes. 
• An average of 1.5 crore tonnes of paddy straw is being generated in Andhra Pradesh every year, of which a large part is set on fire by farmers. This residue along with other crop residue is planned to be converted to useful biomass through establishing 10 processing units across Andhra Pradesh by 2030.
• The aim to initiate and strengthen collaboration among the parties to enable the establishment of agricultural biomass-based industries to generate income for farmers and agriculture labour in rural Andhra Pradesh, support industrial development, and reduce environmental pollution caused by agricultural biomass burning.