The State Council Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism has included fertilizers, pesticides, and other agricultural inputs on the priority list for resuming production and work.

Release Date:

2020-02-18

At 3:00 p.m. on February 18, The State Council’s Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism held a press conference to brief the public on efforts to ensure stable production and supply of “vegetable basket” commodities.

At the press conference, Pan Wenbo, Director-General of the Department of Crop Production under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, stated that at present, most of the country is in the preparatory stage for spring plowing. In South China, early rice seedling raising begins in late February; in the Yangtze River basin, it starts in late March; and in Northeast China, large-scale sowing of corn and soybeans commences around the time of the May Day holiday.

Pan Wenbo, Director-General of the Department of Crop Production under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, said, Affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s spring farming preparations have indeed encountered some new circumstances and challenges.

First, some agricultural input enterprises have yet to resume production and operations. At present, many agricultural-input enterprises require approval from local epidemic‑prevention and control headquarters before resuming operations, and with workers and technical personnel unable to report on time, the rate of normal resumption of work and production remains relatively low.

Second, it is difficult to deliver agricultural inputs to villages and retail outlets. At present, the overall supply of agricultural inputs—such as seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides—is sufficient. The main issue, however, is that the “last mile” of their distribution and delivery is being hampered, making it difficult to get these products into stores and villages. In some areas, pesticide retailers report stocking levels less than half of what they were in previous years.

Third, normal agricultural activities have been affected. In some rural areas, epidemic prevention measures have been implemented in a one-size-fits-all manner, with entire villages being sealed off and roads blocked, effectively preventing farmers from entering their fields and agricultural machinery from operating on the roads. For instance, as spring tea is about to be harvested and vegetables are ready for picking, these farming activities cannot proceed as usual. In particular, the current challenges of high labor costs and labor shortages are especially acute, further disrupting the normal operations of large-scale agricultural producers.

“Agricultural production is different from industrial production; as the saying goes:” ‘ A mistake by a person may last only a moment, but the land will not wait—agricultural work waits for no one. ’. Addressing the challenges of spring plowing and preparation amid the pandemic, Pan Wenbo stated that, in response to existing issues, targeted measures will be implemented on a case-by-case and region-by-region basis. Agricultural activities will be scheduled from south to north, with differentiated epidemic prevention and control protocols put into place. Guide counties with no outbreaks or mild outbreaks to effectively and promptly carry out spring plowing preparations. , closely linked and coordinated, advancing region by region and implementing crop by crop. ”

Meanwhile, Fertilizers, pesticides, and other agricultural inputs have been included in the State Council’s Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism for Ensuring the Supply of Essential Living Materials and listed as priority items for resuming production and work. Operations are initiated and logistics are organized on a point-to-point basis to ensure that key regions have sufficient fertilizer and agricultural chemicals for spring plowing and preparation.

Source of the article: Compiled from The Paper

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