The Ministry of Agriculture strives to promote zero growth in chemical fertilizer use

On May 19, the Ministry of Agriculture held a meeting in Beijing to promote the implementation of the "Zero Growth Action for Fertilizer Use by 2020" to further implement the relevant requirements of the Party Group of the Ministry of Agriculture, unify thinking and clarify tasks. The meeting stressed that the agricultural sector should fulfill its duties, take the initiative to implement various work measures in place, and make new and greater contributions to promoting scientific fertilization, ensuring national food security and realizing sustainable agricultural development.

The conference pointed out that the extensive use of chemical fertilizers has played an irreplaceable role in achieving successive grain production increases and effective supply of important agricultural products in China. However, excessive use of chemical fertilizers in some areas has also caused problems such as increased production costs, agricultural environmental pollution and cultivated land degradation. Under the increasingly tight constraints of resources and environment, great efforts must be made to promote scientific fertilization and effectively reduce the irrational use of chemical fertilizers. Carrying out the zero-growth action of fertilizer use is a major measure to implement the strategic deployment of the CPC Central Committee on "changing the mode, adjusting the structure, promoting development and benefiting the people". It is also an important task to ensure national food security, transform the mode of agricultural development and realize sustainable development.

The meeting stressed that the zero-growth action of chemical fertilizer use is a systematic project and arduous task, which requires overall arrangement and comprehensive policies. It is more necessary to clarify ideas, scientifically formulate goals and put forward practical measures. In terms of thinking, we should rely on scientific and technological progress, innovate service mechanism, change fertilization mode, deeply promote scientific fertilization, and take the road of sustainable development with high yield and high efficiency, cost saving and efficiency enhancement, high quality and environmental protection; in terms of path, we should promote precise fertilization, adjust fertilizer use structure, improve fertilization mode, and replace part of chemical fertilizer with organic fertilizer; In terms of objectives and measures, it is necessary to realize "three improvements and one strengthening", that is, to improve the utilization rate of chemical fertilizer, the utilization rate of organic fertilizer resources and the basic fertility of cultivated land, strengthen the cultivation of new management subjects, promote moderate scale management and guide scientific fertilization.

The meeting required that the objectives and tasks should be refined, technical measures should be implemented, work responsibilities should be strengthened, multiple measures should be taken simultaneously, multi-pronged measures should be taken, district-by-district promotion should be carried out item by item, and the zero-growth action of fertilizer use should be carried out in a solid manner. On the surface, all localities should take active actions to promote the zero-growth of chemical fertilizer use in combination with soil testing and formula fertilization, cultivated land quality protection and improvement, high-yield creation, etc. At this point, it is necessary to highlight key crops, key areas and key links, carry out fertilizer reduction and efficiency enhancement pilot projects, accumulate experience, explore models, intensify efforts, establish and improve the coordination and promotion mechanism of inter-provincial fertilizer reduction and efficiency enhancement pilot projects for corn, vegetables and apples, further improve the provincial work promotion mechanism for fertilizer reduction and efficiency enhancement pilot projects, and establish a performance appraisal mechanism for zero growth of fertilizer use.