About 130,000 hectares of farmland in China was left fallow last year in a pilot program designed to reverse ecological degradation in some rural areas and promote sustainable development of agriculture, the Ministry of Agriculture said on Friday.In addition, the crops on another 670,000 hectares of farmland were rotated to improve farmland fertility and reduce the use of chemical fertilizers, Zeng Yande, chief for the ministry's department for plant supervision, said at a news conference.The amount of land to be left fallow or rotated will keep increasing for the next few years and is expected to exceed 3.33 million hectares by the end of 2020, he said.Through promoting crop rotation, the stock of crops in greater surplus, such as corn, has been decreased, while the supply of soybean, a major agricultural import, has been increased, he said.China started the pilot program in 2016 in an effort to reduce the intensity of farming and ease worsening pollution caused by agricultural production.Last year, the pilot covered nine provinces and autonomous regions, Zeng said.Fan Kejun, vice-inspector at the Ministry of Finance's Agriculture Department, said that last year 2.56 billion yuan ($404 million) in subsidies was provided to farmers covered by the program. This year, the subsidies and the land covered by the program are expected to double.We must respect the wishes of farmers and not force them to leave their farmland fallow or rotate their crops, said Zeng from the Ministry of Agriculture. We must provide compensation to farmers to ensure their income will not be reduced due to the program.Major areas where the pilot program has been carried out include areas that are polluted by heavy metals or seriously ecologically degraded, and places that suffer severe underground water shortages, Zeng said.The program resulted in the reduction of 4 billion kilograms of grains last year, accounting for just 0.6 percent of China's grain output, he said.Such a loss will not affect China's food security, he said. The program can contribute to sustainable development of agriculture and increase potential grain output for the future.China's annual grain output has remained at more than 600 billion kg every year over the past five years, resulting in adequate stock over the past several years, according to the Ministry of [email protected] figured-wristbandmake rubber braceletssilicone wristbands australiadebossed-wristbandwide rubber bracelets
China will start a national campaign to combat criminal gangs and organized crime and to wipe out their protection umbrellas, an effort that will be integrated with the fight against corruption involving low-ranking officials, a notice from the nation's top leaders said on Wednesday.To implement the spirit of the 19th CPC National Congress and written instruction from General Secretary Xi Jinping, the campaign is designed to ensure people's contented life, social stability and long-term peace, said the notice, which was jointly released by the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, China's Cabinet.Clues pointing to protection umbrellas should be examined with priority, and anyone involved will be investigated and punished no matter who they are, the notice said.Crackdowns on protection umbrellas and gang-related crimes should be investigated at the same time, especially as they relate to poverty alleviation, it said.The campaign should be promoted in a systematic and legal way, and the crackdown on gang-related crimes should be coordinated with anti-corruption efforts to hit flies, the notice said. A fly is a term to signify a low-ranking official found violating Party discipline or clean governance rules.The campaign should integrate with inspections at the grassroots level, which can effectively crack down on gang-related crimes and deter gang organizers, it said. What's more important, a long-term process should be forged to continue enhancing the people's sense of gains, happiness and safety, it said.The campaign will focus on gang-related and organized crimes in key areas, professions and fields that have gained a dislike from the public, the notice said. Legal and public security authorities also should coordinate better, it said.Gang organizers, key members and protection umbrellas should be punished severely in accordance with the law.Connection networks and protection umbrellas must be eliminated, while more efforts should be made to strengthen buildups in grassroots political structures and legal systems, State Councilor Guo Shengkun, head of the Commission for Political and Legal Affairs of the CPC Central Committee, said in a teleconference on Tuesday.He Bing, a law professor at China University of Political Science and Law, said the integration of the crackdown on gang-related and organized crimes with anti-corruption efforts is necessary.Corruption must be removed from grassroots governments, otherwise the crackdown will not achieve its goal, He said. Political power must be used and then gangs will be truly eradiated, He said. rubber wristbandssilicone wristbands australiadual-layer-wristbandcustom-silicon-wristbandsfunny silicone wristbands<%2fcenter>
