Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs: In 2020, the proportion of China’s cultivated area treated with high-efficiency, low-risk pesticides exceeded 90%.

Since 2015, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs has launched an initiative to achieve zero growth in the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. After five years of implementation, by the end of 2020, China had successfully met its targets for reducing fertilizer and pesticide use while enhancing their efficiency. The overall application rates of these inputs have declined significantly, while their utilization rates have improved markedly, yielding clear benefits for the high-quality development of the crop production sector. According to scientific estimates, in 2020, the fertilizer utilization rate for China’s three major grain crops—rice, wheat, and corn—stood at 40.2%, up 5 percentage points from 2015, while the pesticide utilization rate reached 40.6%, an increase of 4 percentage points over the same period.

According to reports, during the 13th Five-Year Plan period, localities accelerated the integrated promotion of green and efficient technologies for reducing fertilizer and pesticide use while enhancing their effectiveness, and explored innovative working mechanisms and service models, laying a solid foundation for cutting input volumes and improving utilization rates. First, the structure of agricultural inputs has continued to improve. Since 2017, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs has launched initiatives to replace chemical fertilizers with organic fertilizers and to substitute high‑efficiency, low‑risk pesticides for conventional chemical ones. By 2020, the area under organic fertilizer application exceeded 550 million mu, up roughly 50% from 2015, and the share of high‑efficiency, low‑risk pesticides surpassed 90%. Second, the adoption of scientific fertilization and pesticide‑application techniques has been expedited. Soil testing and formula‑based fertilization have been vigorously promoted, with formulated fertilizers now accounting for more than 60% of total applications for the three major grain crops. Advanced, resource‑saving practices such as mechanical deep placement and fertigation have also been rapidly scaled up, with mechanical fertilization applied on over 700 million mu and fertigation on 140 million mu. Furthermore, green pest management and precision, science‑based pesticide use have been strongly advanced: timely and accurate forecasting of disease and pest outbreaks, widespread deployment of high‑efficiency plant protection equipment and machinery, and the implementation of threshold‑based control, symptom‑specific treatment, and appropriate timing and dosage. In 2020, nearly 1 billion mu were covered by green pest management, with a coverage rate of 41.5% for major crop diseases and pests—up 18.5 percentage points from 2015.

Third, specialized services have enhanced the efficiency of fertilizer application and pesticide use. With the vigorous development of professional service organizations providing unified allocation and application of fertilizers and integrated pest and disease management, instances of wasteful or inefficient practices by individual farmers have been reduced, thereby improving the overall efficiency of fertilizer and pesticide use. Nationwide, the number of such specialized service organizations has reached 93,000, and the coverage of integrated pest and disease management for the three major grain crops has risen to 41.9%, an increase of 8.9 percentage points compared with 2015. Fourth, demonstration projects have played a key role in driving reductions in input use while boosting efficiency. Focusing on priority regions and key crops, annual demonstrations promoting reduced fertilizer use and increased efficiency have been carried out in 300 counties; pilot programs substituting organic fertilizers for chemical ones have been launched in 233 key counties; integrated demonstration bases combining unified pest control with green pest‑management practices have been established in 600 counties; and full‑cycle green pest‑management pilots for fruits, vegetables, and tea have been implemented in 150 counties. In parallel, initiatives such as the “Hundred Counties” program for integrated pest and disease management and the designation of model counties for green pest control have been undertaken, consolidating and disseminating technologies that reduce both fertilizer and pesticide inputs. These efforts have fully leveraged the leading role of demonstration counties to spur broader reductions in fertilizer and pesticide use while enhancing their effectiveness. Fifth, strengthened communication and guidance have raised the level of scientific fertilizer and pesticide management. Experts have been mobilized to develop region‑ and crop‑specific technical plans for reducing fertilizer and pesticide use, formulated guidelines on sound fertilization practices, and published fixed nitrogen‑fertilizer application rates for rice, wheat, corn, and rapeseed. Over one million copies of technical manuals and educational posters on the proper use of fertilizers and pesticides have been distributed, helping farmers and new types of agricultural operators master key techniques for minimizing input use and avoiding excessive or indiscriminate application. Furthermore, the “One Million Farmers’ Scientific Pesticide‑Use Training Campaign” has been organized, annually training more than three million key technical personnel from large-scale growers, plant protection service providers, and farmer leaders, thereby enabling smallholders to improve their practices in the rational and efficient use of fertilizers and pesticides.

Going forward, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs will strengthen its measures, aiming to increase the utilization rates of fertilizers and pesticides by an additional 3 percentage points by 2025 and to drive a comprehensive green transformation of agricultural production. First, it will reinforce top-level design by making the reduction of fertilizer and pesticide use a key component of promoting green agricultural development and continuously improving environmental quality. It will formulate implementation plans that clearly define objectives, priority areas, technological pathways, and major measures. Second, it will rely on scientific and technological support by organizing research and innovation in green inputs, promoting the adoption of new‑type fertilizers and highly effective, low‑risk pesticides, optimizing fertilization and application practices, implementing quota‑based fertilization, integrating and scaling up green pest‑control approaches, and establishing sustainable, eco‑friendly cropping systems. Third, it will intensify policy support by actively seeking backing from relevant stakeholders, establishing and refining mechanisms to ensure stable investment, and steadily advancing the reduction of fertilizer and pesticide use. Fourth, it will enhance public awareness and guidance by launching campaigns to foster a scientifically informed understanding of fertilizers and pesticides and to promote green agricultural development; vigorously highlighting the role of these inputs, disseminating knowledge on sound fertilization and pesticide application, and cultivating a positive social climate.

Source: Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Website