4 | Thursday, July 16, 2020 CHINA DAILY CHINA Summer Stretching out output of China strives to grains hits record high aid fishermen
By YANG WANLI [email protected] after river ban China’s summer grain output reached a historic high of 142.8 million metric tons this year Authorities aim to help anglers find new despite the ongoing global COV jobs after fishing moratorium imposed ID19 pandemic, the National Bureau of Statistics revealed on Wednesday. By WANG XIAOYU in terms of allocating compensation Compared with 2019, this [email protected] and social security plans, among year’s summer grain output wit other assistance programs,” he said. nessed an increase of 1.2 million China is ramping up efforts to iden On July 8, the State Council tons, according to a statement tify fishermen who give up their boats released a notice that urges intensi released by the bureau on its and nets in compliance with a fishing fied efforts to enforce the fishing ban. website. ban along the Yangtze River, and is The document highlights the signifi “The bumper harvest laid a devising targeted plans to assist them cance of ensuring the livelihoods of solid foundation for this year’s in relocating and finding new jobs. former fishermen in its river basin. food supply, which gives us To reverse the deteriorating eco Song Xin, deputy director of the strong confidence in our goal to system and biodiversity of the Yang Ministry of Human Resources and build a moderately prosperous Art students prepare before they perform for judges at the Shandong University of Arts in Jinan, tze River — whose bountiful aquatic Social Security’s employment pro society in all respects and win Shandong province, on Tuesday. More than 3,600 candidates applied for the university’s School of resources have been severely deplet motion department, said during the the battle against poverty,” said Dance, and about 700 of them passed the initial online selection process and proceeded to the face ed due to intense human activities news conference that redeployment Li Suoqiang, director of the toface test at the university. Only those who excel in both the art test and the national entrance — China has imposed a 10year fish of former fishermen is difficult as bureau’s rural affairs. examination, or gaokao, will be admitted to the university. HUANG ZHONGMING / FOR CHINA DAILY ing moratorium in 332 conservation most of them are not young and have While the total area used to areas along the river since the begin few other skills. The COVID19 epi grow summer crops declined 0.7 ning of this year. demic also worsens their prospects. percent yearonyear to 26.1 mil The ban will be expanded to all The ministry will thus put for lion hectares this year, the state natural waterways and major tribu ward a slew of employment options ment said the average output taries of the river, as well as large based on their specialties and aspi from each hectare of crops rose First Yangtze porpoise born in lakes connected to it no later than rations, he said. 1.6 percent, leading to the overall Jan 1, according to the Ministry of “Former fishermen dexterous in output increase. Agriculture and Rural Affairs. trawling will be enlisted to help Li explained that the decline captivity released into the wild To achieve the goal, authorities develop related industries such as in crop area is due to the adjust must make sure all fishermen are ricefish farming, aquatic products ment of planting structure. A redeployed to other sectors by the processing and leisure fishing,” he change in market demand led By YANG WANLI essary, and data collected on her end of this year, ViceMinister Yu said. some regions to plant more [email protected] will be constructive to breeding Kangzhen said during a news con “Those who are willing to switch vegetables instead of grain research and conservation of the ference held by the State Council to new jobs will be introduced to crops, he said. The world’s first Yangtze finless species. Information Office on Wednesday. work in nearby enterprises, factories porpoise bred in captivity was “The release was an important “The scale of the ban is unprece or agricultural businesses. Vocation recently released into the wild, and step to save this endangered ani dented as it affects more than 100,000 al training and guidance will also be 1.6 followup tracking will identify mal. Whether it can be successfully fishing boats and nearly 300,000 fish held on a large scale.” percent whether it can survive, experts done will provide data and experi ermen,” he said. “So far, close to 80,000 Entrepreneurship is also encour revealed. ences to the artificial breeding of boats and 100,000 fishermen have aged. Incubator bases related to the Yearonyear increase of the average output The 4yearold female mammal, the species, which will further con been withdrawn, and some regions, fishery industry will be supported, of summer crops named Bei Bei, was released last tribute to its protection,” Zhang including Shanghai municipality and and former fishermen who launch per hectare this year week into the Tian’ezhou National An animal worker feeds Bei Bei said. Jiangxi and Yunnan provinces, have startups that operate for longer than Nature Reserve in Shishou, Hubei with frozen fish in a net cage On Monday, Hao said workers in finished their tasks in advance.” a set period will be rewarded with a province, according to Hao Yu purposebuilt within Tian’ezhou the reserve have noticed an animal, Yu said uneven preparedness for a onetime subsidy, he added. Moreover, Li said farmers, jiang, an expert from the Institute National Nature Reserve in which looks “very like” Bei Bei, at a full ban along the river has added For the older and longunem especially those living in the of Hydrobiology under Chinese 2018. DING ZELIANG / FOR CHINA DAILY spot about 1 km from the net cage pressure to the goal, and one major ployed group, local governments North China Plain, are encour Academy of Sciences. where she used to live. issue is inaccurate and incomplete should propose oneonone assist aged to let their land lie fallow Bei Bei had been reared in a net The finless porpoise and the information on fishermen. ance plans and guide them to take for a better harvest next year, fur cage purposebuilt within the help her to mate successfully,” Hao Baiji dolphin (Yangtze River dol “An inspection conducted this part in patrol work. ther contributing to the reserve. Her parents are two wild said. phin), both members of the ceta March shows that some areas have Yu, the viceminister, added that decreased total area for summer Yangtze finless porpoises, one of Training therefore plays a crucial cea family and the only two failed to set up standard files, pre many fishermen depending on the crops. whom was injured in 2008 by ice in role in the process. According to mammals in the Yangtze, were cisely detect affected fishermen or Yangtze River have been living in Although the area declined, the Tian’ezhou oxbow, an old Hao, researchers had helped her designated as “critically endan release relevant information to the destitute conditions for a long time the average output from each 21kilometers course of the Yangtze get used to the taste of fresh fish gered” on the red list of threaten public adequately. If these basics are due to dwindling fish stocks. hectare of crops increased River, and was rescued by and taught her to catch them. ed species by the International murky, it will be hard to continue “Freshwater fish products from thanks to good weather condi researchers from the reserve. “It was difficult at the very begin Union for Conservation of Nature with subsequent work,” he said. the Yangtze River used to account tions before the summer, Li The Yangtze finless porpoise is ning as she was used to the taste of in 2013. To solve the issue, local authori for as much as 60 percent of the said. one of the very few porpoise spe frozen food. Sometimes, she was However, in 2006 the Baiji dol ties are now required to close loop nationwide total, but nowadays the Also, early surveillance and cies that live in fresh water. Scien irritated and flew into a rage,” he phin was declared functionally holes and confirm relevant river only supplies less than 100,000 prevention work on possible tific research on the species said. extinct, according to the World information, including fishermen’s metric tons of the 63 million tons losses caused by pests and crop released by the Ministry of Agri Moreover, the net cage she used Wide Fund for Nature. The family backgrounds and employ produced each year across the coun diseases boosted the bumper cultural and Rural Affairs in 2018 to live in at the reserve was destruction of the dolphin’s food ment preferences, by visiting each try,” he said. harvest, according to Li. shows that its population was replaced by an openwater area supply, which was mainly the household, according to Yu. “Therefore, forbidding fishing in “Facing challenges such as just 1,012 — fewer than the giant covering 20,000 square meters result of overfishing, was central to “The update of the database will its river basin is not only meant to labor shortages because work panda. that was surrounded by nets. its extinction. be completed by the end of this revive the battered ecosystem, but ers were advised to stay at In 1990, the institute initiated “It will help familiarize her with The finless porpoise is widely month. Starting on Aug 1, the sys also to break the vicious cycle and home during the epidemic, we the conservation of the species out the water environment in the wild,” believed to be an important indica tem will be locked and used as a ref achieve longterm benefits for fish strengthened efforts on field side its natural habitat. Currently, Hao said. tor of the ecology of the Yangtze, erence for rolling out future policies ermen,” he said. management and the transfer there are more than 80 wild finless The Yangtze finless porpoise is which stretches over 6,300 km and of agricultural supplies,” he porpoises living in the oxbow. found in the main Yangtze River boasts rich and complex terrains said. According to Hao, researchers channel in central and eastern Chi and climates along its basin and “On the whole, we haven’t seen have successfully released two na and in two lakes, Dongting and has one of the highest levels of bio Arctic bound any big impact from the COVID Yangtze finless porpoises that had Poyang, which are naturally con diversity in the world. 19 pandemic on grain produc been rescued. One was a Yangtze nected to the river. The porpoise’s Data showed that there are more tion this summer,” he added. finless porpoise name A Bao, who small size and cute ‘smile’ make it a than 4,300 kinds of aquatic life liv Summer grain is the first sea was born in the wild, raised in cap muchloved animal in China and ing in the Yangtze River Basin, son of China’s annual grain pro tivity in the institute for seven beyond. including more than 400 types of duction, which accounts for years and sent back to the wild in Over the past 40 years, the por fish. more than a fifth of the annual 2011. poise’s numbers have declined dra In April, the country released a grain output. “A Bao now has a big family, matically due to, among other guideline on improving sewage In May, Han Changfu, minister with 10 grandchildren and at factors, climate change and habitat treatment through the use of price of agriculture and rural affairs, least two greatgrandchildren,” loss, according to Zhang Xinqiao, leverage to improve the prevention said China will not suffer a food Hao said. senior program manager of the and control of water pollution in crisis despite the ongoing pan However, the training for Bei Bei World Wide Fund for Nature in the Yangtze. demic due to a sufficient domes is more challenging as she had no China. To further preserve biodiversi tic supply. experience in the wild, according However, he said the population ty along the river, China also He said China has had good to Hao. Before her release, she of the species has shown stability began a 10year fishing moratori grain harvests for more than a received about two months of in recent years as a result of joint um from the beginning of this decade, and annual production training aimed at helping her protection from government year in 332 conservation areas in of grain has remained at above adapt. organs, research institutes and oth the Yangtze River Basin, which Research icebreaker Xuelong 2, or Snow Dragon 2, prepares to set 650 million tons for five years. “Weighing about 60 kilograms, er social organizations. will be expanded to all the natu sail on Wednesday from its home port in Shanghai for its first Arctic In June, VicePremier Hu Bei Bei is going to be mature sexu According to the institute, ral waterways of the country’s expedition. China’s second icebreaker — and its first domestically Chunhua called for unremitting ally. To release her to the wild now researchers from the reserve will longest river and its major tribu built — is scheduled for a mission that will last more than two efforts to promote agricultural is very important because it will monitor Bei Bei and help her if nec taries no later than Jan 1. months. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY production and strive to accom plish the annual target of secur ing a bumper harvest. He urged smoothing channels Huawei for procuring summer wheat : Company’s future in United Kingdom now ‘politicized’ and rice, and solving problems in this regard, including issues with From page 1 research facility in the UK. Officials with a huge economic loss. Dow Huawei held its position as the networks, according to reports funding and storage. said the facility has been envisaged den said the move would delay the world’s largest telecom gear mak from The Brussels Times. Hu also stressed promoting Xiang Ligang, directorgeneral as the international headquarters of rollout of 5G in Britain by two to er, with a market share of 35.7 per Deutsche Telekom, Europe’s largest the construction of modern agri of the Information Consumption the company’s fiber optic communi three years at a cost of 2 billion cent, followed by Ericsson and telecom carrier, also said in a state cultural facilities and consolidat Alliance, a telecom industry advo cation business. pounds. Nokia, according to market ment last week that it’s committed to ing the foundations of securing cacy group, called it a loselose Ed Brewster, a spokesman for Chi Onwurah, shadow digital research company Dell’Oro. a multivendor strategy and that it stable production and supply of decision. Huawei has been in the Huawei UK, said after Tuesday’s minister for the opposition Labour The ranking came despite Wash buys from a large number of different major agricultural products UK for two decades, and it has decision, “Regrettably our future in Party, said that the government’s ington’s intensified push to per manufacturers including Huawei. while strengthening any weak made a large investment in the the UK has become politicized. This handling of Huawei had created a suade its allies to ban Huawei. area in this regard. nation. is about US trade policy and not “car crash for the digital economy, Philippe de Backer, federal Zhou Jin contributed to this story. Last month, Huawei received security.” but one that would have been visible minister for telecom in Belgium, Wang Xiaodong contributed to government approval to build a 1 The UK government conceded from outer space”. said on Tuesday that Huawei will Contact the writers at this story. billion pound ($1.26 billion) that the Huawei ban will come In the first quarter of 2020, not be banned from Belgium’s 5G [email protected]