Up to 16% of China’s soil is heavily contaminated, Reuters reported, citing survey results released by the Ministry of Environmental Protection on Thursday. China is desperate to tackle the impact of rapid industrialization and urbanization on its food supplies, with the aim of maintaining self-sufficiency and reducing its dependence on grain imports amid soaring demand. The report blamed agricultural production and other “human activities” for the contamination, which it said had been accumulated over the long term. The ministry said China is working on a series of measures to help resolve the problem of soil pollution and would also speed up the drafting of related legislation.
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