Page 126 - 2023 White Paper on the Business Environment in China
P. 126
3 White Paper on the Business Environment in China
Farmland Protection out, posing a threat to the country's ecological
security and sustainable agricultural development.
Agricultural experts believe that China should Consisting of 38 provisions, the law specifies
adopt a long-term approach to protecting arable the responsibilities of the government and
farmland to ensure the country's food security "agricultural production operators" to protect the
and sustainable development. President Xi Jinping black soil. The law requires that black soil should
said requirements for the protection of arable land be used in growing farm produce including grains,
must be further clarified to ensure that China's 120 oil crops, sugar crops, and vegetables, while strict
million hectares of farmland is a reliable figure and protection must be provided for the black soil
that all of the farmland is fertile. China has 127.87 that has been designated as part of the country's
million hectares of arable land, with the area having "permanent basic farmland" to ensure stable
fallen by 7.5 million hectares in the past 10 years grain yields and quality. Stipulating a surveying
and approaching a red line, according to the results and monitoring system for the soil, the law says
of the third national land survey. It is not unusual to that when governments at or above the county
see more lucrative cash crops grown on flat, fertile level conduct land surveys, a similar survey on the
land that is suitable for growing grain, with media distribution, quantity, quality, protection and other
outlets reporting that farmers have planted apple aspects of the black soil should meanwhile take
and pear trees on farmland, while some villagers place to establish a "black soil archive." Stressing
living near rivers and lakes have dug ponds in that fiscal spending on black soil protection shall
arable land to develop aquaculture. As the diets of be ensured, the law says that governments at or
Chinese people have changed, demand for fruits above the county level should earmark funds for
and other cash crops is increasing. Urbanization black soil protection in their budgets and report
has also boosted demand for nursery crops their work on black soil protection to people's
such as ornamental trees and perennial flowers, congresses of the corresponding level or the
encouraging farmers and local governments to standing committees of the people's congresses. It
grow them. The increasing use of arable land also stipulates harsher punishment for those who
for nonfarming purposes will affect national cause pollution or soil erosion in black soil areas
food security and must be taken into serious in accordance with relevant laws and regulations,
consideration. The Ministry of Natural Resources and asks state farms to contribute more to black
said it will strengthen law enforcement and soil protection efforts and set a fine example
supervision by uncovering the illegal occupation of (Xinhua, “China Passes New Law to Strengthen
arable land through remote sensing once every six Black Soil Protection”).
months. High-quality arable land only accounted
for 31% of China's total, with some areas overused Agrochemical Industry
and damaged by farming activities using fertilizers
and pesticides (Yimeng, “Long-Term Approach In May 2022, the output of China's chemical
Needed to Protect Arable Farmland”). pesticide technicals (converted to 100% of active
ingredients) was 229,000 tons, a year-on-year
China's top legislature passed a law on black increase of 12.3%; the cumulative output was
soil conservation, as part of efforts to ensure 1.078 million tons, a cumulative increase of 0.6%.
the country's grain security and protect the From 2016 to 2021, the output of China's chemical
ecosystem. The law addresses the country's need pesticide technicals showed an upward trend since
for measures designed to specifically protect the 2020. In 2022, the production of chemical pesticide
black soil. The black soil, or chernozem soil, found technicals in China is mainly concentrated in
in China's northeastern provinces of Heilongjiang, East China, Central China and Southwest China.
Jilin and Liaoning and in some parts of the Inner From January to May 2022, the production of
Mongolia Autonomous Region, produces about chemical pesticide technicals in China is unevenly
a quarter of the country's total grain output, distributed, with the highest production in
making it crucial to China's food supply. However, East China, especially Jiangsu Province, which
excessive reclamation has eroded the soil's contributed the most output. In May 2022, the
nutrients and its chernozem layer is thinning
126
Farmland Protection out, posing a threat to the country's ecological
security and sustainable agricultural development.
Agricultural experts believe that China should Consisting of 38 provisions, the law specifies
adopt a long-term approach to protecting arable the responsibilities of the government and
farmland to ensure the country's food security "agricultural production operators" to protect the
and sustainable development. President Xi Jinping black soil. The law requires that black soil should
said requirements for the protection of arable land be used in growing farm produce including grains,
must be further clarified to ensure that China's 120 oil crops, sugar crops, and vegetables, while strict
million hectares of farmland is a reliable figure and protection must be provided for the black soil
that all of the farmland is fertile. China has 127.87 that has been designated as part of the country's
million hectares of arable land, with the area having "permanent basic farmland" to ensure stable
fallen by 7.5 million hectares in the past 10 years grain yields and quality. Stipulating a surveying
and approaching a red line, according to the results and monitoring system for the soil, the law says
of the third national land survey. It is not unusual to that when governments at or above the county
see more lucrative cash crops grown on flat, fertile level conduct land surveys, a similar survey on the
land that is suitable for growing grain, with media distribution, quantity, quality, protection and other
outlets reporting that farmers have planted apple aspects of the black soil should meanwhile take
and pear trees on farmland, while some villagers place to establish a "black soil archive." Stressing
living near rivers and lakes have dug ponds in that fiscal spending on black soil protection shall
arable land to develop aquaculture. As the diets of be ensured, the law says that governments at or
Chinese people have changed, demand for fruits above the county level should earmark funds for
and other cash crops is increasing. Urbanization black soil protection in their budgets and report
has also boosted demand for nursery crops their work on black soil protection to people's
such as ornamental trees and perennial flowers, congresses of the corresponding level or the
encouraging farmers and local governments to standing committees of the people's congresses. It
grow them. The increasing use of arable land also stipulates harsher punishment for those who
for nonfarming purposes will affect national cause pollution or soil erosion in black soil areas
food security and must be taken into serious in accordance with relevant laws and regulations,
consideration. The Ministry of Natural Resources and asks state farms to contribute more to black
said it will strengthen law enforcement and soil protection efforts and set a fine example
supervision by uncovering the illegal occupation of (Xinhua, “China Passes New Law to Strengthen
arable land through remote sensing once every six Black Soil Protection”).
months. High-quality arable land only accounted
for 31% of China's total, with some areas overused Agrochemical Industry
and damaged by farming activities using fertilizers
and pesticides (Yimeng, “Long-Term Approach In May 2022, the output of China's chemical
Needed to Protect Arable Farmland”). pesticide technicals (converted to 100% of active
ingredients) was 229,000 tons, a year-on-year
China's top legislature passed a law on black increase of 12.3%; the cumulative output was
soil conservation, as part of efforts to ensure 1.078 million tons, a cumulative increase of 0.6%.
the country's grain security and protect the From 2016 to 2021, the output of China's chemical
ecosystem. The law addresses the country's need pesticide technicals showed an upward trend since
for measures designed to specifically protect the 2020. In 2022, the production of chemical pesticide
black soil. The black soil, or chernozem soil, found technicals in China is mainly concentrated in
in China's northeastern provinces of Heilongjiang, East China, Central China and Southwest China.
Jilin and Liaoning and in some parts of the Inner From January to May 2022, the production of
Mongolia Autonomous Region, produces about chemical pesticide technicals in China is unevenly
a quarter of the country's total grain output, distributed, with the highest production in
making it crucial to China's food supply. However, East China, especially Jiangsu Province, which
excessive reclamation has eroded the soil's contributed the most output. In May 2022, the
nutrients and its chernozem layer is thinning
126
