China mulls amendment to agri-technology promotion law

BEIJING - Chinese lawmakers on Tuesday read for the first time a draft amendment to the agricultural technology promotion law, which will stipulate more efforts to promote technology use in the country's agricultural industry.

The draft amendment will be read at the bimonthly session of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), scheduled to run from Tuesday to Friday.

Wang Yunlong, head of the Agricultural and Rural Affairs Committee of the NPC Standing Committee, said at the session that the proposals came as problems exist in the promotion of agro-technology, resulting farmers' losses.

The draft stipulates measures to ensure funds and human resources for agro-technology promotion: building a mechanism for the steady growth of funds; improving the funds and work facilities in grassroots departments; encouraging college graduates and technicians to promote agro-technologies in the grassroots.

The State-run agro-technology promotion institutes should act as public service organizations, and are prohibited from for-profit activities, the draft amendment says.

According to the proposed law change, those institutes will promote key agro-technologies, the prevention of agricultural disasters and diseases of animals and plants, the supervision of agricultural product quality, water resource management, agricultural information services, training and more.

The draft also calls for advanced communication measures for agro-technology promotion and stresses that technology must be proven before being promoted.

China is now making all efforts to improve its agricultural technology to develop the country's vast farming sector.

In its first policy document for 2012, China's central authorities underscored the importance of scientific and technological innovation for sustained agricultural growth.

Ensuring effective supply of agricultural products is vital to the country's overall and strategic development amid the complicated global economic situation, the deepening influence of global climate change and increasing shortages of arable land and water at home, the document said.