The Ministry of Agriculture is a component of the State Council in charge of agriculture and rural economic development.

1. To research into and work out development strategies and long-term and mid-term development plans of agriculture and rural economy, to organize their implementation after approvals; to draw up agricultural development plans and supervise their implementation.

2. To study on and draw up agricultural industry policies, direct the rational structural adjustment of agricultural industries, rational allocation of agricultural resources and improvement of produce quality; to put forward policy suggestions regarding prices of agricultural products and means of agricultural production, tariff adjustment, circulation of agricultural staples, rural credit, taxation and rural financial subsidies; to organize the drafting of laws and provisions regarding various agricultural industries such as crop production, animal husbandry, fishery, rural and township enterprises.

3. To make researches for and put forward suggestions regarding further system reforms of rural economy; to guide the building of socialized agricultural service system and the building of rural collective economic and cooperative organizations; to stabilize and improve basic rural business running system, policies, adjust rural economic relations, guide and supervise the alleviation of farmers’ burdens and transfer of land-use rights.

4. To research and formulate guidelines and policies regarding industrialized management of agriculture and the system building and development plans of agricultural staple produce market and promote the agricultural integration of pre-production, in-production and post-production; to organize the “shopping basket program” and the market system building of means of agricultural production; research into and put forth suggestions concerning the import and export of major agricultural products and means of agricultural production; to forecast and publicize rural economic information on supply and demand of various agricultural products and means of agricultural production.

5. To organize the zoning of agricultural resources, ecological agriculture and sustainable agricultural development; to guide the exploitation of agricultural land, fishery waters, grasslands, shoals and swamps suitable for agricultural purposes and the exploitation of rural regenerative energy as well as the protection and management of resources of biological species of agriculture; to be responsible for the protection of ecological environment of fishery waters and aquatic wild animals and plants; to safeguard the state’s fishery rights and execute the supervision and management rights of fishing vessel inspections, fishery administration and fishing ports on behalf of the state.

6. To formulate development plans and related policies regarding agricultural scientific research, education, technology extension and their building of rank and files, and implement the strategy of revitalizing agriculture through science and education; to organize the selection and application of major scientific research and technology extension projects; to guide the development work of agricultural education and agricultural professional skills.

7. To draw up technical standards for various agricultural industries and organize their implementation thereof; to organize the implementation of quality supervision and certification of various agricultural products and green food products and the protection of new varieties of agricultural plants; to organize and coordinate the monitoring and defining of quality of agricultural inputs such as seeds, chemicals and veterinary drugs, and of related law supervision and executions; to organize the registration of domestic manufactured as well as imported seeds, chemicals, vet drugs and related fertilizers, etc. and the safety supervision of agricultural machines.

8. To draft laws and provisions on animal and plant diseases prevention and quarantine, sign inter-governmental agreements and accords and formulate related standards; to organize veterinary administrations and veterinary medical products administration and inspection; to organize and supervise domestic animal and plant disease prevention and quarantine, publicize epidemic information and organize the work of eradication.

9. To undertake foreign-related agricultural affairs and organize related international economic and technical exchanges and cooperation.

10. To guide the work of directly affiliated public institutions and the reform of enterprises affiliated to the Ministry; to supervise the value retention and increment of state-owned assets of enterprises affiliated to the Ministry; in accordance with authorizations, to administer the personnel affairs, payrolls, institutional establishments and stuffing of the directly affiliated institutions; to guide related social groups for the benefit of development of agricultural economy.

11. To undertake other assignments entrusted by the State Council.