In the height of summer, the golden spikes are fragrant, and it is the summer harvest time of the year. Looking at the fertile fields, a new harvest is being born.
"The people take food for heaven, and the country for food." Eat for everything. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core has always regarded solving the problem of feeding more than one billion people as the top priority in governing the country, implemented the national food security strategy, continuously improved the mainland's comprehensive grain production capacity, ranked first in the world in total grain output, and effectively guaranteed the food security of more than 1.4 billion people.
Agriculture is related to the country, and grain is related to the people's livelihood. Food security is linked to national strategies and to people's lives. The clockwork for food security must be tightened and tightened. On June 26, 2023, the Food Security Guarantee Law of the People's Republic of China (Draft) (hereinafter referred to as the "Draft") was submitted to the Third Session of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress for deliberation. This is the first time that the draft has been submitted to a meeting of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress for deliberation.
During the group deliberations of the Standing Committee, the participants unanimously agreed that food security is "the great power of the country", which is related to the national economy and people's livelihood, and is an important foundation for national security. The formulation of the Food Security Law is a major measure to implement General Secretary Xi Jinping's important exposition on national food security, which is conducive to consolidating the foundation of food security, firmly taking the initiative in food security, and ensuring that the Chinese's job is firmly in their hands.
On July 18, in Heiquan Town, Gansu Province, more than 2,000 mu of wheat were harvested, and farmers drove harvesters to harvest wheat. Photo/Visual China
01
Focus on "the Great of the Country"
Ensuring food security is always a top priority
Summer grain pellets are returned to the warehouse, and the new season of autumn grain is pressed forward. "This year's wheat hit an average of 1,200 catties per mu, and the next season of corn must also be managed well to ensure a good harvest of grain throughout the year." In the field of Fanbao Village, Chaibao Town, Guantao County, Hebei Province, Xu Yanling, a major grain farmer, said while inspecting the growth of corn.
Grain harvest, overall initiative. According to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics on July 15, this year's national summer grain output was 146.13 million tons (292.3 billion jin), and summer grain output was stable and slightly reduced, still at a high level, and achieved a bumper harvest. As the first season of annual grain production, the summer grain harvest is bumper, and the annual harvest is supported.
"The five grains, the destiny of all peoples, the treasure of the country." General Secretary Xi Jinping has always been very concerned about grain production, and he often visits the fields during grassroots research. At the Central Rural Work Conference in 2013, 2017, 2020 and 2022, as well as during inspections in Hunan and Guangxi, General Secretary Xi Jinping repeatedly stressed that food security is a strategic issue. The mainland is a big country with a large population, and no matter how high the degree of social modernization, solving the problem of feeding well has always been the top priority in governing the country. The food issue must not only be viewed from the economic point of view, but also from the political point of view, and ensuring national food security is an important foundation for achieving economic development, social stability and national security.
"Only by firmly grasping the initiative in food security can we take the initiative in the revival of a stable and powerful country." Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Party Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core has put forward a new food security concept of "ensuring basic self-sufficiency in grain and absolute security of food rations", established a national food security strategy based on ourselves, based on China, ensuring production capacity, moderate imports, and scientific and technological support, and led hundreds of millions of people to embark on a road of food security with Chinese characteristics. In recent years, the Party Central Committee has issued a series of policies and measures to support grain production, that is, to keep the Chinese's rice bowl firmly in their own hands, that is, to let grain farmers earn money and get benefits, and their lives will be better and better. Through arduous efforts, the mainland has fed nearly one-fifth of the world's population with 9 percent of the world's arable land and 6 percent of its fresh water resources, and has gone from 400 million people who did not have enough to eat in those years to more than 1.4 billion people who eat well today, effectively answering the question of "who will feed China?" and making outstanding contributions to world food security.
Member Li Yufeng said: "At a time when the world's unprecedented changes in a century are accelerating and evolving, the mainland's development has entered a period when strategic opportunities and risks and challenges coexist, and uncertainties and unpredictable factors are increasing, always firmly holding China's rice bowl is a strong support for enhancing the security and stability of the mainland's economic and social development." ”
Today, the mainland has built a total of 1 billion mu of high-standard farmland, achieved 19 consecutive harvests in grain production, maintained a total output of more than 1.3 trillion jin for eight consecutive years, the self-sufficiency rate of rations is more than 100%, the self-sufficiency rate of grain is more than 95%, and the per capita grain share is about 480 kg, which is higher than the internationally recognized food security line of 400 kg.
"The food security situation on the mainland is generally good, with bumper grain harvests in successive years, sufficient stocks and abundant market supply. At the same time, the mainland's grain demand has grown rigidly, and food security still faces many problems and challenges, such as the small total amount of arable land, the overall low quality, the difficulty of stabilizing and increasing grain production, the need to improve the reserve system and mechanism, the circulation system to be improved, the processing capacity to be improved, the emergency guarantee to be strengthened, and the saving and loss reduction to be standardized. Justice Minister He Rong said in his explanation of the draft.
The current new situation and new problems have put forward new rule of law requirements for food security, and it is urgent to further improve the level of rule of law for food security and promote the construction of a legal system for food security in an overall manner. "The enactment of the Food Security Law is of great significance to promote the solution of the above problems, ensure the effective supply of food, ensure national food security, and improve the ability to prevent and resist food security risks." He Rong said.
On July 25, high-standard late rice in Luofu Village, Zuolong Township, Yongfeng County, Ji'an City, Jiangxi Province, grew well. Photo by Liu Haojun
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Legislation is maturing
The Food Security Law has come forward for review
Promoting food security legislation is a key step in solving the problem of food security on the mainland. Ensuring agricultural development and food security through the rule of law is an inevitable requirement for the implementation of the national food security strategy, and it is also the proper meaning of comprehensively promoting the rule of law.
The "Opinions of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council on the Implementation of the Rural Revitalization Strategy" issued in 2018 proposed to "give full play to the guarantee and promotion role of legislation in rural revitalization." Promptly revise and abolish laws and regulations that do not apply. advancing legislation for food security". The "Several Opinions of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council on Adhering to the Priority Development of Agriculture and Rural Areas and Doing a Good Job in the Work of "Three Rural Areas" issued in 2019 pointed out in the "Implementation of the Strategy for the Protection of Important Agricultural Products" that "accelerate the legislative process of food security security".
Following the relevant instructions on promoting food security legislation for two consecutive years in 2018 and 2019, the Opinions of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council on Comprehensively Promoting the Key Work of Rural Revitalization in 2023, issued in 2023, once again focused on food security issues and clearly proposed to promote the introduction of food security security laws.
The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress has always attached great importance to the legislative work of ensuring food security. The Standing Committee of the 11th and 12th National People's Congress included the formulation of a grain law in its legislative plan. In recent years, food security legislation has been continuously promoted. In September 2018, the Standing Committee of the 13th National People's Congress announced a legislative plan that listed the Food Security Law as a Category I item. In November, the first meeting of the leading group for drafting the Food Security Law was held in Beijing. Since then, the research team of the Food Security Law has conducted research in Shaanxi, Jiangsu, Gansu and other provinces. It also held research forums and forums for soliciting opinions on key issues related to food security, such as the guarantee of food production capacity, the guarantee of grain reserve capacity, the guarantee of food circulation capacity, the guarantee of food emergency security, and the guarantee of food quality, and conducted concentrated discussions and research.
For a long time, many local legislative practices on food security have also been carried out in various parts of the mainland. In 2009, the Regulations on Food Security in Guangdong Province were promulgated, clarifying the food security guarantee mechanism of "government leadership, departmental coordination and social participation". In 2011, the Regulations on Food Security in Guizhou Province established the implementation of the chief executive responsibility system for food security security, and included food security work in target performance evaluation. In addition, Ningxia, Liaoning, Tianjin and other places have issued local regulations on the management of grain reserves in the form of local regulations.
In the "14th Five-Year Plan" period, food security legislation has been placed in a larger context, comprehensive food production capacity has become a binding indicator of security guarantees, and the national "14th Five-Year Plan" outlines the implementation of food security strategies in a special chapter on "strengthening national economic security guarantees".
The enactment of a special law to ensure food security has ushered in new progress in 2022. The formulation of the Food Security Law was included in the 2022 legislative work plan, strengthening policies, improving efficiency, reducing costs, preventing risks, and planning for the long term from the legal level, firmly grasping the initiative of food security.
From May 8 to 13, 2023, Shekrat Zakir, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, led a research team to conduct a special study on ensuring national food security in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The research team went to relevant counties and cities in Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture, Hami City and Kashgar Prefecture to conduct on-the-spot investigations on grain planting, processing, reserves, seed industry revitalization, high-standard farmland and farmland water conservancy project construction, and held symposiums to listen to reports, opinions and suggestions on the work of ensuring national food security.
The Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee of the National People's Congress attaches great importance to promoting legislation on food security security, and the Committee has formed research groups to go to Jiangsu, Shandong, Xinjiang, Guangdong, Anhui, Liaoning and other provinces (regions) to carry out research and study on the work of ensuring national food security, and conduct on-site inspections to understand the situation. In April 2023, the committee studied the draft law on food security to be submitted by the Ministry of Justice for deliberation and put forward suggestions for further improvement.
On June 26, 2023, the draft law on food security security, which had been in the works for many years, was first submitted to the third meeting of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People's Congress for deliberation. At present, the Agricultural Law, the Law on the Promotion of Rural Revitalization, the Law on the Protection of Black Soil, the National Security Law and other laws have stipulated the principles of food security, and administrative regulations such as the Regulations on the Management of Grain Circulation and the Regulations on the Management of Central Grain Reserves have made special provisions on a certain link of food security, but due to the lack of a unified and authoritative superior law, it is difficult to meet the actual needs of food security guarantees. The draft submitted for deliberation will systematically and comprehensively regulate food security at the national level in the form of law, and become an important part of mainland agricultural legislation.
"Food security is inseparable from the rule of law." During the group deliberation, many members said that through more than 10 years of exploration, the legislative work on food security security has become increasingly mature. It is very necessary to formulate a law on food security security, strengthen the rule of law and institutionalization of food security measures, and ensure food security from the foundation of the legal system.
On July 16, in the rice field of the Fengshun Grain Planting Cooperative in Longxi Town, the early rice harvested by Chen Jianping, a major grain farmer, was ready to be stored and dried. Photo by Wu Dafu
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Based on national conditions and food conditions
Provide a solid legal guarantee for national food security
Through the interests of the country and the people, the law is a heavy weapon. Food security legislation should not only focus on all links of the whole chain, but also solve outstanding problems in a targeted manner.
The draft consists of 69 articles in 11 chapters, including general provisions, cultivated land protection, grain production, grain reserves, grain circulation, grain processing, food emergency response, food conservation, supervision and management, legal responsibilities and supplementary provisions.
According to reports, the draft adheres to the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, fully implements the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, adheres to the overall national security concept, deeply implements the national food security strategy, and strives to build a systematic and perfect food security system based on the mainland's national conditions and food conditions. At the same time, we should adhere to the problem-oriented approach, consolidate the foundation of food security in an all-round way, and effectively improve the ability to prevent and resist food security risks. The draft also summarizes in depth the achievements of reform in the field of food security since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, translates the proven and mature policy measures and institutional achievements into legal norms, and provides legal guarantees for promoting the modernization of food security governance capabilities.
"The people do not eat unless the grain is not eaten, and the valley is not born in the land." Arable land is the lifeblood of grain production and the foundation for the sustainable development of the Chinese nation. To protect cultivated land, it is necessary not only to guard the red line, but also to improve the quality.
In order to implement the strategy of storing grain in the land, firmly adhere to the red line of 1.8 billion mu of cultivated land, resolutely curb "non-agriculture" and effectively prevent "non-grain production", the draft has a special chapter on "cultivated land protection", stipulating the delineation and implementation of cultivated land and permanent basic farmland protection red lines, ecological protection red lines and urban development boundaries, and strictly protecting cultivated land; Establish a compensation system for cultivated land protection, and mobilize the enthusiasm of the main body responsible for cultivated land protection to protect cultivated land; Strengthen the construction of high-standard farmland and improve the quality of cultivated land.
The key to ensuring food security is to maintain food production capacity. It is necessary to fight the battle of turning over the seed industry, strengthen the support of agricultural science and technology, improve the mechanism for guaranteeing farmers' income from grain cultivation, and provide a solid guarantee for grain production.
In order to implement the strategy of storing grain in technology and increase support for grain production, the draft stipulates the establishment of a national agricultural germplasm resource bank and the establishment of a seed reserve system; encouraging the popularization of mechanized food production technologies; Strengthen the construction of agricultural technology extension system and the capacity building of food production disaster prevention, mitigation and relief; Build functional areas for grain production and protection zones for the production of important agricultural products; The main grain producing areas, main sales areas, and production and marketing balance areas should maintain area and output; Improve the income guarantee mechanism for grain producers, improve the agricultural support and protection system and the grain price formation mechanism, and protect the enthusiasm of grain producers to grow grain.
There is food in hand, and there is no panic in the heart. After years of development, the mainland has established a grain reserve system in which central grain reserves and local grain reserves complement each other, which is a "reservoir" for macro-control of grain and a "ballast stone" for ensuring national food security.
In order to improve the long-term mechanism of grain reserves and give full play to the important role of grain reserves in regulating grain supply and demand, and stabilizing the grain market, the draft stipulates that a government grain reserve system should be established, and the scale, structure and layout of government grain reserves should be scientifically determined to ensure quantity and quality safety; Depository enterprises shall establish and improve internal management systems to ensure the safety of government grain reserves and meet standards; The purchase, sale, rotation and use of government grain reserves shall be carried out in strict accordance with the relevant provisions of the State, and the whole process shall be recorded; Strengthen food reserve infrastructure and quality inspection capacity-building.
Be prepared for danger in times of peace and refrain from extravagance. Due to the large population and relatively insufficient land resources as the basic national conditions of the mainland, the supply and demand of grain in the mainland have been in a tight balance for a long time, and stopping catering waste is still an urgent need to ensure national food security.
To this end, the draft stipulates that relevant departments shall do a good job in food conservation in grain production, reserves, circulation, processing, consumption and other links in accordance with their duties; Intentional destruction of food crop seedlings is prohibited; Food producers strengthen the protection of food crops during the growing period and the management of production operations; Encourage grain operators to use advanced and efficient grain storage, transportation and processing facilities and equipment to reduce food loss and loss; Food producers and traders guide consumers to consume reasonably, and individual citizens and families establish civilized, healthy, rational and green consumption concepts; Strengthen technical support for grain loss reduction, and popularize the application of appropriate grain processing technology and new technologies, new techniques and new equipment for grain loss reduction.
In addition, the draft provides for strengthening the management of grain circulation, ensuring grain processing capacity, strengthening the capacity building of food emergency security, and improving the responsibility mechanism for food security security. The draft also stipulates corresponding legal responsibilities for violations of this law, and connects with laws and administrative regulations on land management, quality and safety of agricultural products, food safety, anti-food waste, and production safety.
During the group deliberations, participants agreed with the enactment of a food security law.
Wang Dongming, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, said that the draft implements the spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping's important instructions on food security and the decision-making and deployment of the Party Central Committee, implements the overall national security concept, and builds an institutional system to ensure food security based on the national conditions of the mainland.
"The basic work of the draft food security law has been done very solidly, from the general principles to cultivated land protection, grain production, reserves, circulation, processing, food emergency, food conservation, supervision and management, legal responsibility, etc., the whole system is very complete and interlinked, building a relatively strict, scientific and complete legal guarantee system for food security." Member Wang Xuecheng commented.
Member Wang Zhimin pointed out that the legislation of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress on food security this time truly reflects the "great of the country", which is very important for actively and effectively coping with the great changes unprecedented in a century, promoting Chinese-style modernization, and laying a solid foundation for the rule of law to promote the modernization of the mainland's food security governance system and governance capacity.
Source: Gong Yixi, National People's Congress