1.   The boats are made mostly of rice straw, woven and bound together.

2.   But rice farmers say they have found an industrial ally that can spin rice straw into fuel.

3.   Ever since, the farmers have been looking for other ways to dispose of the rice straw.

4.   Several years ago, the farmers began investigating the notion of converting the rice straw into ethanol.

5.   The rice farmers also lost points for burning the rice straw after the harvest, a technique that laid a layer of smoke over the valley.

6.   The rice farmers quickly learned, however, that making ethanol from rice straw is more difficult than starting with corn kernels.

7.   Women in bright-colored saris slashed rice straw with small sickles.

8.   THE current hot dry spell in the northern region is made worse by the burning of rice straw by farmers after harvesting.

9.   The burning of rice straws is a nuisance and poses a health hazard, besides being banned in many countries.

10.   The product offers environmental benefits and a boost to the local economy by using rice straw, Ortech managing director Derek Layfield said.