First Batch of Criteria for Agricultural Planning Come into BeingAs informed by Ministry of Agriculture (MOA) and Ministry of Treasury (MOT), China's rural economy is facing double challenges: the relative surplus of agricultural produce causes slow increase in income of peasants on the one hand, and on the other, China is at the final stage for its accession into WTO. This situation makes it very urgent to draw up agricultural standards and to cater to the present situation, first batch of 356 criteria are being worked out and amended, of which 334 are newly drawn up, accounting for 93.8% of the total.According to the briefing by Liu Jian, Vice Minister of Agriculture, MOA and MOT have decided to establish fiscal earmarking fund to support the mapping-out and amendment of agricultural and industrial criteria, that include various standards of plantation and breeding of the leading products, grading of product quality, special-use standard, productive and technological rules, security and sanitary standards for chemical fertilizer residuals, standards for ecological environment of agriculture, as well as standards for agricultural inputs and reasonable use, packing, storing and transporting, and the marking of farm produces. It will take 5 years or a little longer to finish 2500 items of professional standards, annual 350 pieces to establish a series of farm produce quality criteria system compatible with China's national conditions and international practices. Up to now, China has drawn up 300 pieces of national standards of agriculture and 900 professional standards, 1500 local standards. However, on the whole, the standardization work of standards in agriculture, falls far short of the need in the development of agricultural and rural economy, and also lags behind that for restructuring of agriculture, upgrading quality of farm produces and international trade. |
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