China strives for eco-friendly farming

CHENGDU - China will cap fertilizer and pesticide use and better water conservation in the next five years as it pushes for greener agriculture, the Ministry of Agriculture said on Saturday.

By 2020, the utilization rate of irrigation water should rise to 55 percent from the current 52 percent level, and the use of fertilizer and pesticide should be capped, said Agricultural Minister Han Changfu during a working conference held in Chengdu.

He said manure and waste, agricultural films and crop straw resources should be managed properly to achieve eco-friendly farming.

Currently, one cubic meter of water only produces a kilogram of grain harvested in China, lower than the average of 1.2-1.4 kilograms in advanced countries.

China has seen a record summer grain output for 12 straight years this year, but problems including soil acidification and hardening are raising costs while reducing yields.

Official statistics showed that at least 16 percent of China's soil contains more pollutants than national standards allow; less than one third of fertilizers and pesticides are absorbed by crops; less than two thirds of plastic film is recycled; less than half of livestock and poultry waste is processed; and straw burning is still widespread.