Heavy smoke from burning wheat straw in neighboring provinces seriously polluted the air in Beijing early this week.

Not only in the capital, this remains a problem across northern China and parts of the south.

The hazard is repeated every year when farmers set fire to straw after harvesting wheat to clear the fields for the next crop. Officially, burning straw is banned. Governments at various levels usually release documents reiterating the ban when smoke from the burning straw causes serious air pollution.

The message from the futile ban is that sometimes it is an ineffective approach to simply ban something the authorities believe is not right. Farmers' defiance of the ban can be considered a protest at how the issue is being dealt with.

Farmers believe that burning is the cheapest and most convenient way to get rid of the straw, although it can be pulverized with modified harvesting machines then used as a natural fertilizer.

But this takes time and money. And farmers gain no benefit from this most environmentally friendly way of disposing of the wheat byproduct.

The technology and equipment exist to turn the remains of the harvest into bio-fuel. But this requires even more investment. It is almost impossible for farmers to embark on such a venture.

So it is far from enough for the authorities to simply tell farmers not to burn the straw. Down-to-earth investigation is needed to find the best way to dispose of the straw and then determine how governments can help farmers do the right thing.

About 7 million tons of wheat straw is produced annually. Only 50 percent is effectively utilized; the rest is burned - clearly a waste of resources.

It is not difficult for local governments to determine the cause of the problem. Nor is it that difficult for them to pool enough funds to support farmers in turning the straw into useful resources. It depends on whether local government officials can seriously take into consideration both the interests of farmers and the environment.

(China Daily 06/14/2007 page10)