Sumitomo Corporation has begun a consulting service to Chinese farmers exporting vegetables to Japan, advising them on how best to use chemicals. The move came amid mounting tension between the two countries following the Japanese claim that some Chinese vegetable exports contained unacceptable levels of agrochemicals.
Nikkei said that, in addition to the consultancy service, the Japanese trading house would sell authorised agrochemicals to the farmers. Until now, Sumitomo has not sold directly to Chinese farmers, having been involved only in the wholesale business.
Anhui first to implement new family law Anhui has become the first province to enact regulations under China's new Family Planning Law, which came into force on September 1, Associated Press reported.
In a loosening of China's strict one-child policy, the province's new rules allow divorcees, coal miners – a notoriously risky occupation in China – and some other special categories of couples to have more than one child. Farm couples will be allowed to have more than one child if the first is a girl and also if the husband lives with his wife's family and the wife has no brothers.