Zero growth in the use of fertilizers and pesticides launched

On March 17, the Ministry of Agriculture said that it would launch a nationwide campaign to implement zero growth in the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and strive to achieve more than 40% utilization rate of chemical fertilizers and pesticides in major crops by 2020, an increase of 7 and 5 percentage points respectively over 2013, and achieve zero growth in the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides for crops.

Zeng Yande, director of the planting Management Department of the Ministry of Agriculture, said that in order to implement the spirit of the Central Rural work Conference and the Central No. 1 document, the Ministry of Agriculture has carried out an important action around the main line of "stabilizing grain income, adjusting structure, improving quality and efficiency," the aim is to promote the reduction of chemical fertilizers and improve efficiency, reduce pesticides and control hazards, and actively explore ways to develop modern agriculture with high output efficiency, product safety, resource conservation, and environment-friendly.

According to the action plan of zero growth of chemical fertilizer use, its technical path is to promote accurate fertilization, adjust the application structure of chemical fertilizer, improve fertilization methods, and replace chemical fertilizer with organic fertilizer. The key measures are to innovate the service mechanism, strengthen the connection between agriculture and enterprises, increase the rate of formula fertilizer to the household, and popularize the fertilization technology of mechanical fertilization and the integration of water and fertilizer by relying on new operators such as large grain growers, family farms and professional cooperatives; promote the application of new fertilizers and new technologies, popularize efficient new fertilizers and efficient fertilization technology models, promote the utilization of organic fertilizer resources, and increase the content of soil organic matter. We will strengthen the construction of high-standard farmland, improve the quality of cultivated land, and reduce the input of chemical fertilizers.

According to the zero-growth action plan of pesticide use, its technical path is to control the occurrence and harm of diseases and insect pests, to replace high-toxic and high-residue pesticides with high efficiency, to replace small and inefficient pesticide equipment with large and medium-sized high-efficiency pesticides, and to promote accurate and scientific application of pesticides. We will carry out the rule of unified prevention and control of diseases and insect pests. The key measures are to build a disease and pest monitoring and early warning system, improve the timeliness and accuracy of monitoring and early warning, integrate and promote a number of technological models, build a number of green prevention and control demonstration areas, train a number of technical backbones, and promote large-scale popularization and application; promote the integration of unified prevention and control and green prevention and control, and enhance the level of organization and science and technology.

The Ministry of Agriculture proposed that agricultural departments at all levels should set up leading groups to promote implementation, establish a working mechanism of linkage between the top and bottom, and multi-party cooperation, increase financial special support such as soil testing, formula fertilization, disease and pest prevention and control, and set up action expert guidance groups. we will carry out technical guidance services and publicize and popularize the knowledge of scientific fertilization and scientific drug use. At the same time, we will step up efforts to formulate and revise the regulations on the Administration of pesticides and the regulations on the Prevention and Control of crop Diseases and insect pests, and formulate the regulations on the quality Protection of cultivated Land and the regulations on the Management of Fertilizer.

Chemical fertilizer reduction is conducive to the sustainable development of grain production. Pesticide reduction will not affect the effect of disease prevention and pest control.

-- A relevant responsible person of the Ministry of Agriculture answered a reporter's question on the action of zero growth in the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides

In order to implement the spirit of the Central Rural work Conference and the Central No. 1 document, the Ministry of Agriculture launched the "Action on Zero growth in Chemical Fertilizer use by 2020" and "Action on Zero growth in Pesticide use by 2020" to promote the reduction of chemical fertilizers and the control of pesticides. Zeng Yande, director of the planting Management Department of the Ministry of Agriculture, answered questions about the action of zero growth in the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides in 2020.

Q: according to the agricultural proverb, chemical fertilizer is the "grain" of grain, so why do we still propose to reduce the use of chemical fertilizer? What is the impact on national food security?

A: indeed, everyone knows that chemical fertilizers are used to increase grain production. The history of chemical fertilizer application in China is not long, chemical fertilizer just began to enter our country at the beginning of the last century, but the amount of chemical fertilizer is very small. It was not until the 1970s that chemical fertilizer was widely used, which has a history of more than 40 years. However, the large amount of chemical fertilizer used in our country is also a realistic problem. Data show that during the 35 years from 1979 to 2013, the amount of chemical fertilizer used in China increased from 10.86 million tons to 59.12 million tons, with an average annual increase rate of 5.2%. In recent years, due to the vigorous promotion of soil testing and formula fertilization, the growth rate of chemical fertilizer use has declined, which is now less than 1.5%. However, the average consumption of crops per mu in China is still higher than that of developed countries in the world. Excessive use of chemical fertilizer not only increases the cost, but also has a certain impact on the ecological environment of agriculture. This is one of the purposes of our implementation of this action, that is, to work out a path of cost-saving, efficient and sustainable development.

We do not think whether the reduction of chemical fertilizer will have an impact on national food security, and it is also conducive to the sustainable development of grain production. There are three reasons: first, the larger amount of chemical fertilizer used in China is mainly concentrated in vegetables and fruits, especially in facility vegetables, and reducing the amount of chemical fertilizer used by cash crops with large fertilizer consumption will not affect the national food security. Second, the fertilization level of grain crops in China is higher than that in developed countries, and there are still unreasonable phenomena in different regions, but our country has established some mature technical models for different regions, especially the promotion of high-yield and high-efficiency cultivation technology model. will not affect grain yield per unit area. Third, in recent years, soil testing formula fertilization technology has some mature practices and experience, through soil testing formula fertilization and the use of organic fertilizer, can reduce the amount of chemical fertilizer, but also achieve yield improvement, cost saving and efficiency. Based on the above judgment, to achieve the goal of the new national food security strategy, rely on scientific and technological progress, strengthen infrastructure construction, especially strive to improve the quality of cultivated land, the reduction of chemical fertilizer will not affect the national food security, and can maintain the bottom line of "basic self-sufficiency of grain and absolute safety of rations".

Q: at present, there is a shortage of labor in rural areas, farmers are used to using chemical fertilizers, and the use of organic fertilizers is decreasing. In this case, can the reduction target of chemical fertilizer be achieved?

A: at present, there is a shortage of rural labor force, and the reduction in the use of organic fertilizer is an indisputable fact. China is rich in organic fertilizer resources, but the utilization rate is very low, and the actual utilization rate is less than 40%. Among them, the return rate of livestock and poultry manure nutrients to the field is about 50%, and the direct return rate of straw nutrients is about 35%. An important way for us to carry out zero growth in chemical fertilizer use is to promote organic fertilizers instead of chemical fertilizers, so that the goal of reducing chemical fertilizers can be achieved.

How to promote the use of organic fertilizer, the main measures are as follows: first, to promote mechanical fertilization technology, to provide strong conditions for straw returning and organic fertilizer production, and to solve the problem of labor shortage in rural areas. Second, we should promote the combination of agriculture and animal husbandry and realize the resource utilization of organic fertilizer by building organic fertilizer production workshops or production plants in concentrated areas of fertilizer sources, around large-scale livestock and poultry farms, and in concentrated areas of livestock and poultry breeding. Third, strive for support policies, encourage new business entities and scale operators to increase the application of organic fertilizer in the form of subsidies, and guide farmers to accumulate farm manure and apply organic fertilizer. Fourth, innovate the service mechanism, develop various social service organizations, promote the connection between agriculture and enterprises, and improve the service level of organic fertilizer resources. Fifth, strengthen publicity and guidance, strengthen the training of scientific fertilization for new business entities and scale operators, and create a good atmosphere for the application of organic fertilizer.

Q: at present, the climate has changed greatly, and great changes have taken place in the farming and cultivation system. There is a trend of frequent recurrence of diseases and insect pests. Can the reduction target of pesticides be achieved?

A: indeed, in recent years, due to climate changes and changes in farming systems, crop diseases and insect pests have shown a trend of frequent, frequent and recurrent. If diseases and insect pests are not controlled, there will be a substantial reduction in production. Of course, it should be noted that due to unscientific application, coupled with the expansion of crop sown area year by year, the difficulty of pest control is increasing, the overall use of pesticides is on the rise. It is difficult to reverse this situation and achieve zero growth in the use of pesticides. However, after six years of unremitting efforts, zero growth in pesticide use can be achieved by 2020.

In the next step, we should strive to achieve "three subtractions and one mention" and reduce the use of pesticides. One is to reduce the number of times of drug application. The application of agricultural control, biological control, physical control and other green prevention and control technologies to create environmental conditions conducive to crop growth, protection of natural enemies but not conducive to the occurrence of diseases and insect pests, so as to achieve the goal of using less drugs. The second is to reduce the dosage. In the critical period of medication, symptomatic medication, the use of good medicine, appropriate amount of medicine, to avoid blindly increasing the dosage and reducing the overdose. The third is to reduce the loss of pesticides. The development and application of modern plant protection machinery can replace the backward machinery and reduce the loss and waste of pesticides. The fourth is to improve the prevention and control effect. Support specialized pest control service organizations, carry out specialized unified prevention and control on a large scale, improve the effect of prevention and control, and reduce the use of drugs.

Q: will the reduction of pesticides affect the effectiveness of disease prevention and pest control?

Answer: pest control, pay attention to scientific prevention and control. We will focus on "three improvements and three advances". First, improve the concept of prevention and control and promote green prevention and control. Comprehensive application of agricultural control, biological control, physical control and other green prevention and control technologies to prevent and control diseases and insect pests, so as to reduce the scope and degree of diseases and insect pests. The second is to improve the application technology and promote the scientific use of drugs. Make good use of medicine, promote pesticides with high efficiency, low toxicity and low residue, and reasonably add spray synergistic auxiliaries to promote pesticide reduction and efficiency; make good use of equipment, promote new and efficient plant protection machinery, reduce drift loss, improve spray targeting, improve pesticide utilization rate; use good people, popularize scientific knowledge of drug use, guide farmers to use drugs for symptoms and in critical periods, avoid using wrong drugs and miss the best prevention and treatment period. The third is to improve the way of organization and promote the rule of unified defense. Specialized pest control service organizations are well-equipped, advanced technology, standardized management, high control efficiency, good effect, centralized continuous operation, and can also solve the problem of non-uniform medication time in every house. resulting in migration, epidemic diseases and pests to move back and forth to spread harm, poor control effect. From a practical point of view, as long as scientific prevention and control, pesticide reduction will not affect the control effect.