Project Provides a Major Breakthrough for Responsible Soy Production in China
09 May 2014 ---A Solidaridad project in northern China has resulted in Chinese certified responsible soybeans for the first time. The Sinograin Northern Agricultural Development Company has become the first Chinese agricultural company to successfully secure the certification of the Round Table on Responsible Soy (RTRS). The RTRS is the international standard for responsible production, processing and trade of soy worldwide.
The first certification is a milestone in promoting the sustainability of soy production in China, especially since Sinograin is one of the country’s largest state-owned companies. Mr Wang Feng, General Manager of Sinograin North, said: “In February 2014, Sinograin North has honourably received the first RTRS certification in China, which is a milestone both for Sinograin North and the soy production industry in this country. This will speed up our industry upgrading, promote the sustainable development of responsible soy, enhance the communication and cooperation with the overseas market and build a bridge towards the global market.”
The Solidaridad project has covered Sinograin’s eight agricultural farms in the Nenjiang area; 25,406 hectares of land producing 40,000 metric tons of soybean, employing 1100 full-time and 1200 part-time workers. China is the single largest consumer and importer of soy, as well as the 4th largest producer worldwide.
The project started in 2012 with two large soy farms - the Sinograin North and Nenjiang farms - which cover a total area of 50,000 hectares of soy and employ 3000 workers. The area also has 28,000 smallholder farmers, with an average land ownership of 0.4 hectares.
The project has had important impacts thus far: In 2013, due to extremely low temperatures, the yields and therefore incomes of soy farmers in the area decreased dramatically. Farmers participating in the project, however, were able to maintain the same level of income. Furthermore, the average use of fertilizer and pesticides by project participants has been reduced by 5%-10%.
Sinograin North recruited farmers from local rural communities as part-time workers and provided them with training, thus boosting opportunities in the local labour market. Moreover, it enhanced workplace security by increasing the frequency of equipment safety inspections and providing an on-site medical care service during the busy production and harvesting season.
Solidaridad is an international organization dedicated to responsible food production to feed the growing world population and to providing the world with an alternative to fossil fuels like oil and gas. Solidaridad is convinced that the agricultural sector can produce more efficiently so that it will be able to feed to world population in 2050, as well as supply energy and plastic to the industry. That is why Solidaridad is investing in enterprising farmers in developing countries and putting emphasis on the improvement of their land use, so that production can increase while at the same time harm to people and the environment is decreased.
Solidaridad focuses on the production chains that matter worldwide and where changes have great impact: coffee, tea, cacao, fruit, textiles, cotton, soy, palm oil, sugar cane, gold and cattle breeding.
