China Sets up Agricultural Standardization SystemChina has set up a standardization system for agriculture, stepping closer to agriculture modernization.The system consists of more than 8,800 national and local technical standards set and revised over the last four years. An official with China's Ministry of Agriculture said that the system has been established to meet both growing local and overseas demand for high quality farm produce. The standardization system also aims to sharpen the competitiveness of China's agricultural products in the world market after the country joins the World Trade Organization and to increase farmers' income, the official added. The new standards, which are in line with both China's domestic situation and international practice, cover such areas as planting, breeding, fishing, environmental protection in rural areas, township enterprises and protection of new plant species. A series of national standardization administrative committees and product quality inspection centers are being established to help accelerate the adoption of the standards. Official statistics indicate that China has increased its annual agricultural output value by more than four billion yuan through standardized production. |
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