Highlights from China’s Minister of Agriculture media address

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China's Minister of Agriculture Han Changfu on Tuesday briefed journalists on agricultural supply-side structural reform at a press conference on the sidelines of the annual meeting of the National People's Congress in Beijing.

On agricultural supply-side structural reform

More efforts will be made in 2017 to reduce the excess corn stocks, with the ministry setting a planting target of 40 million mu (2.7 million hectares), the minister said.

He outlined the major challenges that Chinese agriculture faces in the market, including the conflicts between supply and demand.

The ongoing reform will focus on the improvement of the supply-demand relationship and the industrial transformation in agricultural sector. The ministry also pledged to ensure the quality and efficiency of agricultural activities to increase farmers’ income.

VCG Photo

On environment protection

The pesticide application saw a zero growth in 2016, and is expected to decrease in the years ahead, according to the minister.

Taking the green development as a key step, China will take both the protection of resources and waste treatment into consideration to improve the agricultural environment.

On genetically modified products

Vice Minister of Agriculture Zhang Taolin introduced a roadmap for the development of genetically modified products. China will develop inedible products by using GMO technology as the first step. The application of genetically modified foods will be promoted with extreme caution until they are proven to be safe.

Zhang said that GMO technology was controllable, and China will continue its independent innovation in the sector while tightening the supervision of its application and promotion of GMO products.

China also set up the State Committee for the Safety of Agricultural Transgenic Living Things to assess ‍and monitor the safety of genetically modified products.

Zhang Taolin answers a question about genetically modified products at a press conference in Beijing on March 7, 2017./NPC Photo

During the press conference, Minister Han Changfu also took questions from the media on the reform of land use, food security, protection of the aquatic ecosystem, and other hot topics in the agricultural sector.

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