China plans to cut pesticides on fruits & vegetables by 10% in the next three years

05 December 2022, China: To limit the number of chemicals in the food chain, China, the country with the highest pesticide usage worldwide, said on Thursday that it plans to cut the use of pesticides in fruit & vegetables, and tea by 10% within three years (2025).

On China’s small and marginal farming plots, a lot of chemical pesticides and fertilizers are utilized to grow crops. Overuse and incorrect use both have the potential to harm biodiversity and contaminate the water and soil. 

China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs also plans to increase the usage of organic fertilizers by 5% by 2025 while reducing pesticide use on rice, wheat, and corn by 5% over the same time frame. The Ministry mentioned that there is an urgent need to increase the efficiency and scientific use of pesticides and fertilizers when supporting the decrease of chemical pesticides. It stated in its plan that maintaining national food security and supplies of essential goods is also necessary.  

Reducing Agrochemical Use 

The recent reduction by China to reduce agrochemical use is in line with the country’s decision to stop the growth of agrochemical use after 2020. This was planned by the government in 2015.

While usage of pesticides and fertilizers had decreased by 16.8% and 13.8%, respectively, by 2021, the ministry added that the nation was still utilizing them excessively and inefficiently. According to the ministry, the biocontrol and bio-pesticide approach must be adopted to eradicate pests and diseases and this will be implemented on more than 55% of cultivable land by 2025.

China possesses 7% of the world’s arable land but consumes a third of the world’s chemical fertilizers. This is 2.7 times more than the average country, according to China Energy News, a state-run publication.

Also Read: Promoting Agricultural Transition in Asian Mega-Deltas

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