BEIJING: Lawmakers began debating a draft law on Monday to strengthen China’s ability to prevent and mitigate food security hazards.
The proposed law was sent to the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress for the first reading during the current legislative session, which runs from Monday to Wednesday.
The draft, consisting of 11 chapters and 69 sections, concentrates on themes including protecting cultivated land, grain output, and grain reserves crucial to China’s foundation for food security.
According to an explanation for the draft, China, with a growing grain demand, has various issues, including a lack of high-quality and stable arable land and an increasing challenge in maintaining steady and high grain output, despite overall favorable conditions for food security.
The document stated that the draught was created based on the country’s reality to give a legal assurance for strengthening China’s food security. It was also said that the proposed legislation transforms mature policy measures and institutional accomplishments that have been tried and true in practice into legal norms and address issues relating to food security to secure a sufficient food supply in China. The draft acknowledges the significance of protecting arable land and stipulates that redlines must be created to safeguard farmland, permanent basic cropland, ecosystems, and urban development borders.
The draft proposes establishing a compensation system for arable land protection and implementing the compensation strategy for using cultivated land for other purposes.
The draft reads that the state shall restrict the conversion of cultivated land to other agricultural uses, such as forests and grassland.
The draft about grain production emphasizes the construction of a national agriculture germplasm bank and a seed reserve system. Promoting mechanized technologies is mandated, as is the development of grain production’s ability for disaster mitigation, relief, and prevention. It contains recommendations for strengthening China’s grain reserve system and mechanism, enhancing the critical function of grain reserves in adjusting grain supply and demand, and stabilizing grain production.
The draft also emphasizes the management of grain distribution and encourages the high-quality growth of the grain processing sector. Improving the nation’s capacity for emergency grain supplies is crucial to the draught. The draught demands rapid responses to disruptions and requires the state to set up a reporting mechanism for extraordinary volatility in the grain market.
The draft also outlines steps to encourage grain conservation, lower losses, and develop a reliable accountability system for guaranteeing food security. It includes guidelines for potential legal repercussions for noncompliance. They rigorously adhere to the rules and legislation for worker safety, agricultural product quality and safety, food safety, and anti-food waste. —APP
