Posted on 01/05/2014 6:56:48 AM PST by Kaslin
At the end of 2013, China reported over 3 mln hectares of land too polluted to farm.
About 3.33 million hectares (8 million acres) of China's farmland is too polluted to grow crops, a government official said on Monday, highlighting the risk facing agriculture after three decades of rapid industrial growth.
China has been under pressure to improve its urban environment following a spate of pollution scares.
But cleaning up rural regions could be an even bigger challenge as the government tries to reverse damage done by years of urban and industrial encroachment and ensure food supplies for a growing population.
Wang Shiyuan, the vice-minister of land and resources, told a news briefing that China was determined to rectify the problem and had committed "tens of billions of yuan" a year to pilot projects aimed at rehabilitating contaminated land and underground water supplies.
The area of China's contaminated land is about the same size as Belgium. Wang said no more planting would be allowed on it as the government was determined to prevent toxic metals entering the food chain.
"In the past there have been news reports about cadmium-contaminated rice - these kinds of problems have already been strictly prohibited," he said.
This year, inspectors found dangerous levels of cadmium in rice sold in the southern city of Guangzhou. The rice was grown in Henan, a major heavy metal-producing region.
State researchers have said that as much as 70 percent of China's soil could have problems.
All Farm Products From China Suspect
The last sentence above says all you need to know. It's unsafe to trust any farm products from China.
Woefully Inadequate Response
The vice-minister of land and resources, said China committed "tens of billions of yuan" a year to pilot projects aimed at rehabilitating contaminated land and underground water supplies.
How uncomforting! The cleanup bill for air pollution alone is $290 billion. Give that State TV amazingly promotes the "Benefits of Smog" one has to wonder how many acres of China's farmland are really polluted, and what a proper cleanup job would actually cost.
Iceberg Principle
I speculate the cleanup cost will be in the $trillions, if done properly (but likely it won't).
One thing we learned from the financial crisis in the US, and continued bank problems in Europe is the biggest portion of the mess is continually hidden.
Call it the "Iceberg Principle" where politicians only reveal a portion of the problem with each admission.
Recall the initial estimates of the Greek bailout was something like €40 billion. In May of 2010 the Troika committed a €110 billion bailout loan. A second bailout loan a year later added another €100 billion. Talk is now underway regarding a third bailout.
Questions of the Day
One thing is for certain: China's growth at any cost policy came at an enormous price.
Good I will go Vegetarian first or Raise my own chickens
Okay.... so, what’s the picture about???
We eat nothing from that Godforsaken place. Or at least knowingly. We are trying to only eat stuff from our area that is grown locally or regionally.
I won’t buy any food made in China.
Just because your chicken comes from Iowa, does not mean the feed,antibiotics,and suppliments did not come from china.
This is part of the reason china is buying poultry and beef outfits here in the US.
Ship the relatively clean food home to china, leave the polution and waste here.
Also, why is so much water bottled in the US, leaving the US for other countries?
I consider farm products from Mexico the same way. I check food labels closely and never knowingly buy Mexican food products.
How can this be?
I thought the US was the only polluter on the planet.
Who does that?
The only thing that comes to mind right away concerning U.S. agriculture is ethanol and that's hardly the farmer's fault, that's a government problem.
Tiger Mother will stop toxic metals from entering the food supply
” If you saw the soil of some of these American corn farms and what the growth would look like without the injection of ammonia gas, you wouldn’t be so celebratory. “
Corn uses a lot of nitrogen. Anhydrous ammonia is a great way to get it at a good price.
No soil in the world could supply adequate nitrogen to grow modern corn without outside nitrogen being added.
Wonder if they are going to buy Detroit and call our IOU for land?.
Duh. Works for the short term.
No soil in the world could supply adequate nitrogen to grow modern corn without outside nitrogen being added.
Ruining soil to make ethanol for cars is a terrible use of trace minerals.
“Just because your chicken comes from Iowa, does not mean the feed,antibiotics,and suppliments did not come from china.”
I am not aware that feed mills are buying any feed ingredients from off shore.
Certainly not grain; China doesn’t have it to sell; it is grown here.
“Ruining soil to make ethanol for cars is a terrible use of trace minerals. “
Do you farm?
Raising corn for ethanol doesn’t “ruin the soil”. The soil will be farmed and things grown ethanol or not.
Farmers can use good farming practices or not use good farming practices; they choose.
Anhydrous ammonia has been used since probably the 40’s. The other alternative would be the more costly urea source of nitrogen. Or animal manure if available; which is a great source; but isn’t available everywhere.
About a year ago there were reports that 30,000 dead hogs were dumped in one of the reservoirs that Beijing used for a drinking water source. You have to be an extremely sick pig in china to not be eaten.
I do research on native plant habitat restoration on a parcel that was once farmed. Farming it lost all the organic matter, clay, stored charcoal, and trace minerals. All that was left was sand.
I do forestry, grassland restoration, and developed that soil with minimal amendments for growing food. I'll be going to composting toilets soon with the goal of making the whole human support system portable with minimal impact (although impact is not inherently a bad thing). So I'm tackling the whole problem. It's an interesting challenge.
Farmers can use good farming practices or not use good farming practices; they choose.
There is no market for soil futures.
The other alternative would be the more costly urea source of nitrogen. Or animal manure if available; which is a great source; but isn’t available everywhere.
You presume a lot here.
BTW, I’m not your enemy here; I’m trying to teach you something. I have a lot of respect for farmers, but I do think the system must change over the long run. I’m in the process of writing a book about that.
Wasn’t Del Monte sold to a Chinese company recently?
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