The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs deploys centralized rectification of illegal production, operation and use of banned and restricted pesticides.

On April 15, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs held a video conference to deploy a nationwide crackdown on the illegal production, operation, and use of banned pesticides. Zhang Xingwang, member of the Party Group of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and Deputy Minister, attended the meeting and delivered a speech. The meeting emphasized the need to thoroughly study and implement the important instructions of General Secretary Xi Jinping and the decision-making arrangements of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council. It called for a strict crackdown on illegal production, operation, and use of banned pesticides to clean up the pesticide market environment and provide strong support for ensuring national food security and agricultural product quality. The meeting required the concentrated rectification work to focus on "illegal production, illegal sales, illegal addition", highlighting key points and seeking practical results. It called for a comprehensive investigation of pesticide production and operation entities, intensifying supervision and random inspections of pesticide products, organizing inspections and secret visits, compiling a list of problems, and categorically promoting law enforcement to achieve the effect of "investigating and handling one case, deterring a whole area". The meeting emphasized the need to earnestly implement territorial responsibilities, strengthen vertical linkage between central and local authorities, coordinate inter-regional and inter-departmental cooperation, and generate collective efforts. It stressed the need to firmly establish and practice a correct performance evaluation concept, strictly abide by work discipline, regulate inspection behavior, eliminate local protectionism, and implement the overall requirements of "serving the party and the people, benefiting the people, making scientific decisions, and implementing real actions" throughout the entire process of the concentrated rectification work.