We can't do without potatoes for major crops.

[During the meeting·Standing Committee of the National People's Congress]

Members of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress discussed the revised draft of the Seed Law:

The main crop cannot be short of potatoes

Guangming Daily, Beijing, November 1 (Reporter Yin Hong, Wang Yiyin) The 17th meeting of the Standing Committee of the 12th National People's Congress reviewed the revised draft seed law in groups on the morning of November 31. A number of members of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress believe that the main crops specified in the draft are too narrow, and suggest increasing the number of varieties, especially potatoes, as the main crops.

The current seed law stipulates that the main crops are rice, wheat, corn, cotton, soybean, rape and potato. This revision of the law, the draft will reduce the main crops to rice, wheat, corn, cotton, soybean five kinds.

Member Mu Dongsheng pointed out that the state has launched the potato staple food strategy, so potatoes should be added to the main crops stipulated in the draft.

Zhang Zuoha, a member of the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee of the National People's Congress who attended the meeting as a nonvoting delegate, also put forward the same proposal. He explained that one is because potatoes have always been called "five agricultural crops" together with rice, wheat, corn and sorghum, which are rich in nutritional value and are known as the "second bread" of mankind. Second, because China's potato planting area and total output are ranked first in the world. In 2012, the planting area reached more than 5.4 million hectares, and the total output reached more than 80 million tons, accounting for 3% of the total grain output of the country. Moreover, it was widely planted in many parts of the north, central, western and southwest of China.

"At present, potato in our country is still limited by variety and cultivation level. The yield level is only about 15 tons per hectare, while that in developed countries has reached about 40 tons per hectare. The gap is very large. The key lies in independent research and development, promotion and market supervision of potato seeds. Therefore, I suggest taking potato as the main agricultural product to promote the development of potato seed industry." Zhang Zuoha stressed.

Lu Zhiming, deputy director of the Standing Committee of Guizhou Province, who attended the meeting, believed that the definition of five main crops was too narrow. Seed law is very important to our agricultural bulk products and grain consumed by urban and rural residents every day. In order to ensure food safety, food safety and consumer health, large varieties such as potatoes should be retained.

"It's not hard to imagine that once there are fake seeds, there is a legal basis and no legal basis in terms of deterrence." Lu Zhiming said.