More  than 10 percent of China's arable land is contaminated by pollution and the situation is getting worse, said the Ministry of Land and Resources.

Officials and experts believe the arable land pollution, together with declining farmed area, pose a severe threat to the nation's food security, said a ministry official.

The ministry announced this month that China's arable land area had shrunk to 121.8 million hectares by the end of last October, with the loss of 306,800 hectares in the first 10 months of last year. About 12.3 million hectares is polluted.

The land suffered from polluted water, excessive fertilizer, heavy metals and solid wastes, official said.

The ministry acknowledged that heavy metals alone contaminated 12 million tons of grain and caused losses of 20 billion yuan each year, adding the polluted grain will ultimately be a health hazard.

Sun Wensheng, Minister of Land and Resources, called on the public to conserve land and other resources for sustainable economic growth yesterday, the 38th World Earth Day.

The ministry said it is working with the State Administration of Environmental Protection to seek the most suitable pollution monitoring and prevention system.

Source:佚名