PRODUCTION OF export-ready piña fiber in the town of Don Salvador Benedicto in Negros Occidental recently got a boost with the launch of a solar-powered machine for processing pineapple leaves, the Department of Energy (DoE) announced Monday.
DoE, in a joint media release with its program partners, said the P3.5-million project serves as the pilot for the Productive Use of Renewable Energy (PURE) project, which supplements the department’s rural electrification program while providing other sources of income for farmers through the use of renewable energy.
It is in partnership with the European Union-supported Access to Sustainable Energy Program (EU-ASEP) and TeaM Energy Foundation, Inc. (TEFI).
Funding was provided by TEFI, which leads power firm TeaM Energy’s corporate social responsibility programs. The DoE and EU-ASEP gave technical assistance through the project’s feasibility study.
“This intervention will support the community in making use of pineapple leaves which were thrown away in the past. Now, they can be used as high-value natural fiber, which will generate income and might become an export commodity of the Philippines,” said European Union Delegation to the Philippines’ Head of Cooperation Christoph Wagner. — Angelica Y. Yang