Provincial governors tasked to ensure food security

Provincial governors are to be given key roles in ensuring food security and will not get away with poor work, the State Council, China's cabinet, said on Thursday.

Placing the provincial governors at the forefront for the food security system is "inevitable" as food security affects stability and development while "China is expected to see a tight balance of food demand and supply for a long period of time," according to a statement published on the website of the State Council.

The governors must make sure the amount and quality of farmland remains stable, improve pollution control to ensure grain quality, ensure the authenticity of grain reserve data and protect farmers, the statement said.

A team comprised of government agencies including the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Agriculture and the State Administration of Grain will assess the performance of the provincial governors. Those governors will be held accountable if they "fail to perform their duties and make major errors with serious effects," according to the statement.

China's food safety problems are aggravated by water and soil pollution. Food security is now more urgent with the end of the one-child policy and rapid industrialization encroaching on farmland. Endi