Yu Xinrong, Vice Minister of Agriculture, stressed deepening theoretical researches and scientific advancement of the Action Plan for Zero Growth in t

The meeting for launching the project of “studies on and application of the implementation of the Action Plan for Zero Growth in the Application of Pesticide” was held in Beijing on October 18. Yu Xinrong, Vice Minister of Agriculture, emphasized at the meeting that there is a need to practically integrate “scientific motivation, policy regulation and industry self-improvement” and take multi-pronged efforts to guarantee the realization of the target of zero growth in the application of pesticide amount by 2020 on the basis of scientifically drawing a pesticide decrement roadmap.

Yu Xinrong pointed out that the Ministry of Agriculture has made a series of important plans this year in order to accelerate the transformation of agricultural development mode and advance agricultural eco-environmental protection and improvement. “The Action Plan for Zero Growth in the Application of Pesticide” is one of these important plans. The action plan was proposed on the basis of corresponding material and technological foundation and has complied with the mainstream choice of the international society. The action plan is an essential judgment under the new normal agricultural product supply-demand relationship of China and conforms to the theme of China’s sustainable agricultural development.

Yun Xinrong highlighted that the research project should focus on studying multiple dimensions, including economic society, policy, technology, equipment, service and new type of business, and should expose their internal connections and law. He also underlined that there is a need to put forward effective research results, take full use of policy leverage and regulation effects. He said that there is a need to take scientific and technological progress as the engine to guide market players’ self-discipline self-improvement and build an integrated platform of production, study, research, promotion and administration. He noted that there is a need to integrate “scientific motivation, policy regulation and industry self-improvement”, take multi-pronged efforts to property design and operate the research project and thus ensure the achievement of practical results.

Yu Xinrong required that there is a need to always pay attention to three aspects in the research project and the commercialization of research results. First, there is a need to pay attention to policy innovation. That is to learn from international practices, focus on national conditions, and explore the use of fiscal and taxation as well as financial means to guide the feasibility of product technological innovation. That is also to seize on the opportunity of revising the Regulations on Pesticide Administration to intensify control and guidance of pesticide administration of “zero growth”. Second, there is a need to pay attention to the development of the pesticide industry. That is to take “zero growth” as an important opportunity for quality improvement, transformation and upgrading, study and propose the conformity of the industry to government policies under the strategy of reducing pesticide amount application, and plan as a whole the application of measures and suggestions of both domestic and international markets. Third, there is a need to pay attention to the interests of farmers and enterprise players. That is to clear up all doubts of farmers and enterprises in “zero growth” and make them realize, understand and support “zero growth”. There is also a need to make farmers and enterprises get real benefits from “zero growth” and expect good prospects.

It is learned that this research project was launched by the Institute for the Control of Agrochemicals of the Ministry of Agriculture (ICAMA) together with 8 Chinese famous pesticide manufacturers with an aim to provide path and policy suggestions for the advancement of the “zero growth” action plan. This project has established six special topics, namely the relations between agricultural development and pesticide category and structure, the new pesticide and new medical instrument research and development direction and promotion mechanism, comprehensive pesticide decrement technology, pesticide supervision and management and agricultural chemistry service mode innovation in “Internet +”, better utilization of both domestic and international markets under the “zero growth” action plan, effective realization mechanism for pesticide science popularization and safe application. The project has invited academicians and famous experts including Qian Xuhong, Wu Kongming and Zhu Youyong, academicians of the Chinese Academy of Engineering to form a project advisory group. The project has also invited a third-party operation team and extensively attracted the participation of colleges and universities, research institutions, among other organizations.