Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs

On March 19, 2018, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs was created at the first session of the 13th National People's Congress as part of the deepening the reform of the Party and state institutions, superseding the Ministry of Agriculture. That same day, Han Changfu was elected Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. It was also announced that some of its additional responsibilities come from the agricultural investment projects of the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Land and Resources, and the Ministry of Water Resources. The Ministry stated in late 2020 that it would designate 6.6 million hectares of prime agricultural land as grain zones to be farmed with high production methods and which could not be converted to other crops. It also raised subsidies for rice, corn, and soybean growing. == Functions ==

The Ministry is responsible for handling the "three rural issues"; namely agriculture, rural areas, and farmers. It is responsible for managing fisheries, animal husbandry, farmland resources, irrigation projects, land reclamation and agricultural mechanization, checking agricultural product quality and safety, and managing agricultural investments. It also houses the Office of the Central Rural Work Leading Group. == See also ==