Nueva Ecija — a rice-growing province in the Philippines — just became the first place in Southeast Asia to generate Puro.earth-verified biochar carbon credits. And the model is beautifully simple: take rice husks (agricultural waste), convert them to biochar, and distribute it to farmers.
Project NuevaChar
Launched in 2022 under Governor Aurelio “Oyie” Umali, Project NuevaChar is a joint venture between the provincial government and Singapore-based Alcom Pte Ltd. The facility combines green heat production with biochar manufacturing.
The numbers so far:
- 363 metric tons of rice husk biochar distributed to farmers
- Coverage across 181 hectares of rice fields and other crops
- Operations expanded to 32 cities and municipalities
- In July 2025, the province received its first carbon revenue from verified credits — a first for any local government in the Philippines
In 2023, the project was audited and validated by Puro.earth, confirming its net carbon dioxide removal and enabling the issuance of certified carbon credits.
Why This Matters for CDR
This is what CDR looks like when it actually works for communities. The biochar improves soil quality (a direct benefit to rice farmers), generates revenue through carbon credits (a financial incentive for the local government), and removes CO₂ permanently (the climate benefit).
CDI’s portfolio includes biochar companies working across the Global South — Cotierra turns agricultural waste into biochar in Latin America, while Happy Ground operates in Thailand. NuevaChar fits the same pattern: local feedstock, local benefits, verified removals.
Rice husks are one of the world’s most abundant agricultural waste streams. If this model scales across Southeast Asia — where rice production dominates — the potential is enormous.
Source: Manila Bulletin