Fertilizer application rates for fruit trees and vegetables in China have exceeded safe levels

The State Council Information Office held a press conference this morning, at which Vice Minister of Agriculture Zhang Taolin briefed on the work related to the prevention and control of agricultural non-point source pollution. When answering a reporter's question about farmers frequently and widely using agricultural film, pesticides and chemical fertilizers in large amounts, causing serious pollution, Zhang Taolin said frankly that in China in recent years, the crops receiving the most fertilizer have been fruit trees and vegetables; the area planted with fruit trees and vegetables has expanded rapidly in recent years, and the fertilizer application rates are relatively high and have exceeded safe levels, so these will need to be the focus of reduction in the future.

Zhang Taolin stated that in addressing the problem of agricultural non-point source pollution, the main approach is still to consistently integrate the protection of agricultural resources with the development of agricultural production, while also combining the prevention and control of external-source pollution with that of internal-source pollution. A joint force should be formed, coordinating all sectors of society and integrating various resources for prevention and control. An integrated, systematic solution covering the entire chain, the entire process and all elements of agricultural non-point source pollution, from source to process to end point, should be formed. Targeted measures should be taken according to the various types of pollution to advance the "one control, two reductions, three basics."

With regard to the "one control," this mainly concerns the amount of water used in agriculture; through measures such as water-saving agriculture, including the construction of farmland infrastructure and water-saving irrigation projects, the efficiency of water use is to be improved. At present, one cubic meter of irrigation water can produce one kilogram of grain; compared with the level of 1.2-1.4 in developed countries, there is still a certain gap, so there is still potential to be tapped in this regard. On the other hand, if the construction of farmland facilities, including pipe network construction, is strengthened to reduce the consumption of irrigation water during transport, the effective utilization coefficient is also very important. Therefore, the Ministry of Agriculture has proposed raising the effective utilization coefficient of farmland irrigation water to 0.55.

With regard to the "two reductions," this mainly concerns reducing the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. In recent years, China has been vigorously promoting soil testing and formulated fertilization, including green prevention and control and integrated prevention and control measures for pests and diseases. In terms of fertilization, how to fertilize precisely, including research and development of new types of fertilizers and green production inputs, and through such measures, the use efficiency of pesticides and chemical fertilizers is to be effectively improved. Overall, the utilization rates of pesticides and chemical fertilizers today should be said to have improved relatively markedly compared with the past; the current comprehensive utilization rate of chemical fertilizers is roughly around 30%, and the utilization rates of different nutrient elements, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, differ. Overall, the utilization rates of these nutrients have all improved, and in recent years the effect of the improvement has been very obvious, especially for grain crops. Even at this level of utilization, compared with developed countries or places with relatively high utilization levels, there is still room for further improvement. In particular, in China in recent years the crops receiving the most chemical fertilizer have been fruit trees and vegetables, and the area of fruit trees and vegetables has expanded relatively quickly in recent years; the current fertilizer application rates for fruit trees and vegetables are relatively high and have exceeded safe levels, so these will need to be the focus of reduction in the future.

With regard to the "three basics," first, in the disposal of livestock and poultry manure, through the integration of planting and breeding and the integration of agriculture and animal husbandry, the breeding industry should be fully laid out, and environmental assessment should be strictly carried out, implementing the environmental impact assessment system and the restricted breeding system; second, waste should be comprehensively recycled and reused, including through standardized breeding and clean breeding, supporting comprehensive waste disposal facilities, including developing rural biogas projects and developing circular agriculture, so that waste and manure can be utilized more effectively. Third, the problem of crop straw is also relatively prominent; especially as the yields of some crops have risen year after year, biomass has continued to increase, and the total biomass of crop straw is roughly more than 900 million tons, of which collectable straw reaches more than 800 million tons. At present, the comprehensive utilization rate of part of it is only about 76%. How to effectively and comprehensively utilize this straw, including developing fertilizer, returning straw to the field, and also feed, including making fuel, developing biogas, and so on. These are all areas of work that need to be strengthened in the future in the utilization of straw crops; there is a foundation in this regard, and there are also relatively successful experiences and good examples, and the Ministry of Agriculture has proposed raising the comprehensive utilization rate of straw from 76% to about 85%.

With regard to agricultural film, the source is the material; agricultural film thinner than 0.008 mm is widely used, and there is even 0.004 mm agricultural film; such film ages easily and remains easily in the soil. This requires strengthening the entire network and system for collection and storage, while also adopting effective policy measures to support and incentivize collection, storage and recycling, and of course also includes strengthening research and development, including mechanical collection and gathering of agricultural film, as well as processing work. At the same time, the use of new degradable agricultural film materials should also be strengthened. Through these measures, the problem of agricultural non-point source pollution can be solved in a problem-oriented manner.