In July, the land of Heilongjiang is brimming with vitality. Vast farmlands stretch as far as the eye can see, with crops thriving in the fields, presenting a lush and bountiful summer landscape. The Provincial People's Congress Standing Committee, adhering to the work directives of the Provincial Party Committee, is fulfilling its duties in accordance with the law, leveraging the power of the rule of law to ensure stable and abundant yields from the fertile soil, thereby safeguarding national food security.

Enacting Sound Laws to Protect Fertile Fields

Recognizing that everything grows from the soil, the Provincial People's Congress Standing Committee has prioritized the protection of black soil as a major political task. Taking a leading role in legislative work, it has adopted a "decision plus regulation" model. This includes issuing the "Decision of the Standing Committee of Heilongjiang Provincial People's Congress on Effectively Strengthening the Protection and Utilization of Black Soil" and formulating and revising the "Heilongjiang Province Black Soil Protection and Utilization Regulations." This comprehensive legal approach has propelled black soil protection into a legalized framework.

"Previously, farmers relied heavily on water and fertilizer, which hardened the soil over time. Now, with chemical fertilizer use decreasing year by year, the black soil has become loose and rich, and soil fertility is continuously improving," said National People's Congress delegate Yu Jia'ao. Protecting black soil farmland, she emphasized, requires prioritizing conservation, combining use with restoration, implementing systematic governance, and achieving sustainable utilization.

To build and strengthen the national base for commercial grain production and serve as a stabilizer for national food security, the province has timely revised the "Heilongjiang Province Cultivated Land Protection Regulations." This ensures the implementation of responsibilities for cultivated land protection and food security through legal thinking and methods. Effective regulations guarantee the execution of the "storing grain in the land and technology" strategy, prevent the conversion of farmland to non-agricultural uses and the shift from grain to other crops, and legally uphold national food security.

Strengthening Seed Industry to Secure Food Supply

Seeds are crucial for food security, necessitating self-reliance in seed technology and control over seed sources. "Seeds are the 'chips' of agriculture; good seeds are vital for the security of China's food supply. A key task for agricultural scientists is to equip rice seeds with a 'Chinese core,' ensuring every inch of Heilongjiang's black soil is planted with high-quality, high-yield rice varieties we have bred," stated National People's Congress delegate Nie Shoujun. His team, after a year of intensive work, has successfully certified five new rice varieties, bridging the "last mile" from the laboratory to the field.

Currently, the province is enhancing the protection and utilization of germplasm resources and improving germplasm resource banks. The goal of "using Heilongjiang seeds for Heilongjiang grain" is being successfully realized, solidifying the varietal foundation for stable and increased grain production capacity. Aligning with the requirements of modern agricultural development and leveraging the province's strengths in seed breeding, the Provincial People's Congress Standing Committee has formulated the "Heilongjiang Province Implementation Regulations for the Seed Law of the People's Republic of China." This brings key aspects such as germplasm resource protection, seed industry innovation, enterprise support, base enhancement, and market regulation under the rule of law.

Comprehensive Legislation for Food Security

Addressing the entire cycle and all elements of grain production, the province has enacted the "Heilongjiang Province Food Security Guarantee Regulations." These regulations focus on improving comprehensive grain production capacity, refining the grain reserve system, enhancing supply assurance capabilities, and comprehensively building a regional food security system. The Provincial People's Congress Standing Committee pioneered national legislation on agricultural product climate quality assessment, issuing the "Heilongjiang Province Agricultural Product Climate Quality Evaluation Promotion Regulations." This injects meteorological science into agricultural branding, helping Heilongjiang's high-quality agricultural products not only be "grown well" but also "sold well."

Furthermore, the formulation of the "Heilongjiang Province River Channel Management Regulations" aims to harness the comprehensive benefits of rivers and lakes for water supply and ecology, aiding in achieving abundant harvests. The enactment of the "Heilongjiang Province Forest Chief System Regulations" and the "Heilongjiang Province Wetland Protection Regulations" promotes the "four reservoirs" functions of forests and wetlands in water conservation and ecological optimization, building an ecological shield for green agriculture. Revisions to the "Heilongjiang Province Animal Epidemic Prevention Regulations" and the "Heilongjiang Province Livestock and Poultry Slaughter Management Regulations" contribute to establishing a coordinated food production system integrating "grain, economy, and feed," "planting, breeding, and processing," and agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry, and fisheries, strictly safeguarding public food safety.

"Every legislative act or revision involves the Provincial People's Congress Standing Committee visiting legislative contact points, holding forums, and extensively soliciting opinions from delegates and the public, ensuring every agricultural-related regulation is grounded and reflects the people's will," said Wang Shuangjin, Director of the Legislative Affairs Committee of the Provincial People's Congress Standing Committee.

Implementing Targeted Oversight Measures

Conducting law enforcement inspections on the Agriculture Law to inject legal impetus into the new round of capacity increase for tens of billions of kilograms of grain; reviewing and deliberating special government reports on high-standard farmland construction to enhance the quality and efficiency of black soil protection and utilization through precise oversight... To protect and utilize black soil effectively, maintain national food security, and preserve regional ecosystem balance, following the 2023 inspection of the "one law, one regulation" on black soil protection, the Provincial People's Congress Standing Committee, in 2026, adopted a problem-oriented approach, continued to strengthen oversight rigidity and follow-up, and conducted another inspection. This involved visiting fields to observe farming practices and the implementation of protection measures, directly addressing issues like soil degradation, and urging relevant government departments to promote the "Heilongjiang Model" and "Sanjiang Model" to enhance soil fertility, structure, quality, and cleanliness.

The Provincial People's Congress Standing Committee also conducted a law enforcement inspection on the Seed Law and its implementing regulations. By visiting fields, seedling workshops, research institutes, and demonstration bases for improved seed production, and gaining a detailed understanding of crop cultivation, seedling raising, and seed production and management, the inspection, through follow-up and accountability, pushed governments at all levels to implement the "Five Major Actions for Seed Industry Revitalization," increase policy support, improve the seed industry support system, and foster innovation in modern seed breeding.

Food security is a matter of paramount national importance. The law enforcement inspection of the Food Security Guarantee Law has been listed as a key focus of the National People's Congress Standing Committee's oversight work this year. "We must earnestly study and implement the Food Security Guarantee Law, grasp the key contents and requirements of the law enforcement inspection, promote the implementation of the legal system, and provide legal safeguards for ensuring national food security," emphasized officials. Entrusted by the National People's Congress Standing Committee, the Provincial People's Congress Standing Committee is conducting an inspection on the implementation of the Food Security Guarantee Law.

Additionally, conducting law enforcement inspections on the Wetland Protection Law and special inspections on the Forest Law, the Provincial People's Congress Standing Committee is performing its oversight functions according to law, creating favorable natural conditions for stabilizing and increasing grain production. Through repeated law enforcement inspections, research visits, and oversight follow-ups, the Committee has executed a series of oversight measures, ensuring that laws and regulations related to food security take root in Heilongjiang.

Transforming Delegates' Insights into Development Strategies

"Strictly implement the joint responsibility of Party and government leadership for cultivated land protection, improve grid-based land supervision, strengthen land use control, ensure no reduction in cultivated land area, and firmly safeguard the baseline for grain production space."

"Coordinate the implementation of small watershed comprehensive management, erosion gully remediation, sloping farmland conversion, and farmland shelterbelt construction to establish a governance framework where engineering, biological, and agronomic measures work in synergy, effectively curbing the thinning of the black soil layer and soil fertility degradation."

"Leverage Beidou agricultural machinery and big data backends to dynamically adjust fertilizer ratios and total application based on the nutrient status of each plot, achieving 'supplementing what is lacking.'"

People's Congress delegates, originating from and rooted among the people, are a vital force in advancing food security work. On June 25, 2026, the 36th National Land Day, people's congress standing committees at all levels across the province organized a series of promotional activities around the theme "Cherish Every Inch of Land, Promote High-Quality Development," engaging delegates from the agricultural sector to actively offer suggestions on food security.

"Thousands of years ago, volcanic eruptions formed lava plateaus. Long-term weathering accumulated nutrient-rich humus, creating the unique 'slate field' planting environment," said National People's Congress delegate Chen Yujia, her eyes shining as she discussed how石板大米 (slate rice) reaches consumers nationwide. She noted that innovative organic rice planting models, implementing ecological co-cultivation methods like duck-rice and crayfish-rice, supporting smart farmland monitoring for land maintenance, and developing new business models like rice field adoption, not only protect the precious cold-region black soil but also significantly enhance rice taste and nutritional value.

The core driver and potential of agricultural modernization lie in technology. From spring ploughing to autumn harvest, from land preparation to disease prevention, technologies like drone plant protection, remote diagnostics, and precision drip irrigation are being rapidly deployed, accelerating the shift in grain production from "stable yield and guaranteed harvest" to "high yield and high efficiency."

"Good seeds grow good grain; eating nutritiously and safely is what people care about," said National People's Congress delegate Sun Bin, who founded a farmers' professional cooperative 18 years ago and has witnessed the improvements brought by the perfection of seed industry and food security laws and regulations. He suggested gradually reducing chemical fertilizer and pesticide use, promoting scientific straw return to fields to mitigate the side effects of chemical agriculture; standardizing cultivated land transfer costs to lower grain planting expenses; improving risk protection mechanisms to motivate farmers in cultivation; and legally strengthening grain circulation supervision to protect the interests of grain growers and consumers.

"Assigning exclusive traceability 'ID cards' to finished grain and various grain products allows high-quality, nutritious, and safe Northeast rice from black soil to have clear, authentic identity markers and fair pricing. This not only facilitates consumers in confidently selecting and tasting authentic Northeast rice but also helps premium rice achieve premium prices, continuously standardizes grain market operations, and effectively safeguards the interests of grain farmers in our province," said Provincial People's Congress delegate Yang Yanjie.

"From a single improved seed to vast fields of high-yield crops, from laboratory achievements to farmers' account books, the Provincial Academy of Agricultural Sciences is deeply committed to its mission as a stabilizer through technological strength," said National People's Congress delegate Chen Yuhui. On these hopeful fields, they have innovatively established a "1+1+N" academy-local cooperation model: one expert team links with one prefecture-level city, radiating to N demonstration bases and business entities. Guided by precisely对接 (对接) the province's agricultural production needs, this model practically solves real problems in agricultural production. Experts immerse themselves in demonstration fields, showing farmers how and guiding them in doing, ensuring technical solutions truly reach the fields. Their goal is to turn every inch of black soil into high-yield land and transform every research achievement into a "golden seed" for increasing farmers' income, using the light of technology to contribute to Heilongjiang's role in building an agricultural powerhouse.

"Previously, farming relied entirely on old experience and physical strength, resulting in not only low yields but also poor quality. Now, modern agriculture depends on technology. With knowledgeable People's Congress delegates providing good varieties and personally teaching techniques, we feel assured," said farmers. With the assistance and guidance of Provincial People's Congress delegate Chen Yuxiu, farmers in Houping Village, Meilisi District, Qiqihar City, have increased yields and income through scientific farming, sincerely thanking this breeding expert.

Food security remains the top priority for national welfare and people's livelihood, inseparable from robust legal safeguards. The Provincial People's Congress Standing Committee will closely align with its statutory functions, empower the black soil granary through the rule of law, diligently answer the harvest答卷 (exam paper), steadfastly shoulder the responsibility of safeguarding national food security, and contribute to protecting the "Chinese rice bowl."