Draft Law on Agricultural Technology Popularization: the quality of Agricultural Technology Service is evaluated by Farmers

The draft amendment to the Law on Agricultural Technology Popularization has entered the second instance.

The quality of agricultural technology service is evaluated by farmers.

On August 27, at the 28th meeting of the standing Committee of the 11th National people's Congress held in Beijing, members of the standing Committee listened to a report on the results of deliberation on the draft amendment to the Law on Agricultural Technology Popularization made by Li Chongan, vice chairman of the Law Committee of the National people's Congress.

On the afternoon of the 27th, members of the standing Committee of the National people's Congress deliberated the draft amendment to the law.

The draft submitted for consideration adds provisions conducive to increasing farmers' income in the principles that should be followed in agro-technical popularization, defines the management system of grass-roots agro-technical extension institutions, stipulates that all posts in township agro-technical extension institutions should be professional and technical posts, and adds provisions to promote enterprises, scientific research and teaching institutions and other technical service organizations to actively carry out agro-technical extension services. To make clear the assessment and evaluation of the work of the personnel of grass-roots agro-technical extension machines, we should listen to the opinions of the farmers they serve.

In April this year, the standing Committee of the National people's Congress examined the draft amendment to the Law on Agricultural Technology Popularization for the first time.

Highlight the public welfare and avoid the disconnection between research and practice

Sun Wensheng, member of the standing Committee of the National people's Congress, said during the group deliberation: last year, he participated in the law enforcement inspection of the Law on Agricultural Technology Popularization, and this year he went to the grass-roots level to do research. Judging from the situation reflected by the grass-roots level, it is very necessary and urgent to revise the Law on Agricultural Technology Popularization out of Taiwan. In addition, we should attach great importance to the public welfare of this law, and the state should increase investment. Therefore, we generally agree with the second trial draft of the amendment, and hope and support that the amendment has been voted on.

Committee member Deng Xiuxin said: according to Article 20 of the draft, agricultural scientific research institutions and colleges and universities should list the problems that need to be solved in agricultural production as research topics, which are very well put forward, and have solved the problem that the combination of theory and practice is not tight. However, this is not enough, because the funding for agricultural scientific research is mainly supported by scientific and technological departments and agricultural departments. It is suggested that "scientific and technological departments, agricultural scientific research units and schools should list the technical problems that need to be solved in agricultural production as research topics, and their scientific research achievements can be popularized through agricultural technology units or directly to agricultural labourers and agricultural production and operation organizations." this will be more comprehensive.

Clarify the monitoring responsibilities of grass-roots agricultural technology promotion stations

Yin Chengjie, member of the standing Committee of the National people's Congress, pointed out during the group deliberation that defining the inspection, testing, and monitoring responsibilities of grass-roots agricultural technology extension institutions is fully in line with the current working status of the grass-roots agricultural technology extension system. China's current agricultural management system only has county-level institutions, and there are no agricultural bureaus in the countryside, only agricultural science and technology promotion stations. If we only rely on the county agricultural bureau to test, test and monitor the quality and safety of agricultural products, it is impossible to do so. Therefore, for a long time, grass-roots agricultural technology extension institutions have been responsible for the quality and safety inspection function in the production process of agricultural products. This is the implementation and extension of the functions of agricultural administrative departments at all levels.

After the promulgation and implementation of the Law on quality and Safety of Agricultural products, the quality and safety testing centers of agricultural products at the grass-roots level are basically the same as the agro-technical extension centers, and they can carry out joint construction by adding signs, giving functions, enriching personnel, and improving conditions.

In fact, at present, grass-roots agricultural technology extension institutions undertake such a task. Clarifying the above responsibilities of grass-roots agricultural technology extension institutions from the legal level will help to make full use of existing resources, further extend the regulatory chain, effectively strengthen regulatory measures, and greatly improve work efficiency.

Establishment of agricultural technology safety certification system

Ma Haohui, a deputy to the National people's Congress who attended the standing Committee, said in his speech that most of the farmers who stay in rural areas now have an education level between primary school and junior high school, and it is not easy to distinguish the impact of agricultural technology on the quality and safety of agricultural products. In order to prevent some people or groups from pursuing profits unilaterally and ignoring the safety and quality of agricultural products, consideration should be given to establishing a certification system for the safety of agricultural technology, that is, before allowing the standardized popularization of agricultural technology, the evaluation and verification agency approved by the competent agricultural administrative department under the State Council shall first certify whether the agricultural technology is safe or not.

For this reason, it is proposed that in draft article 21, "agricultural technologies popularized to agricultural labourers and agricultural production and operation organizations must be tested in the popularized areas with advanced nature, applicability and safety". Add "and be assessed and certified in advance by the evaluation and certification body approved by the competent agricultural administrative department under the State Council, confirm its safety, and obtain a safety license".

In addition, a paragraph is added to Article 38: "if agricultural technology without a safety license is popularized because of the lack of safety certification and causes serious social harm, if it constitutes a crime, he shall be investigated for criminal responsibility according to law."