context: The Food Security Law serves as an umbrella legal document that guides existing laws and regulations regarding food security issues along the supply chain. Crops affected by the law include wheat, rice, corn, soybeans, miscellaneous grains (such as millet, sorghum, barley, buckwheat, oats, naked barley, green beans, potatoes and sweet potatoes) and their processed products.
The 14th Standing Committee of the National People's Congress passed the Food Security Law on 29 December 2023. It will be effective from 1 June 2024.
The law includes a dedicated chapter on farmland protection
- specifying the implementation of territorial space use control
- defining redline for farmland
- implementing the compensation system for occupied farmland
- strengthening control over the purposes of farmland
- establishing a strict farmland quality protection system
- enhancing the construction of high-quality farmland
- conducting farmland quality surveys and evaluation
- making special provisions for black soil, fallow land and saline-alkali land
The law stipulates the establishment of a national grain reserve system
- determining the variety structure and regional layout of reserves
- ensuring the quantity and quality of reserves
- enterprises or other organisations storing public grains should strictly comply with relevant regulations, establish sound internal management and risk reporting systems
The law stipulates that food operators should establish business accounts and regularly submit relevant data. In case of significant changes in the relationship between grain supply and demand and prices, the law outlines regulatory measures that can be taken, such as releasing information on the grain market and implementing policy-based grain procurement.