Renewal

As of Sunday, 88 percent of businesses that provide key agricultural materials were operating normally, while 90 percent of agricultural stores had reopened and 92 percent of rural roads nationwide were free of barriers, meaning supplies can reach regular levels, according to Xie Yan, an inspector with the Seed Management Department at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

Less than 5 percent of the 1,200 agricultural counties nationwide have reported shortages of materials, Xie Yan said.

On March 5, Zhang Yanqiu, head of the department, told a media briefing in Beijing that in normal times, the supply of seeds, fertilizers and pesticides exceeds national demand during the spring farming period, but this year, the supply chain has been affected by the restricted cross-regional transportation as a result of the virus,

Meanwhile, on Sunday, Wang Xiuchun, deputy director of the Ministry of Transport's Service Department, said to ensure open transport channels for spring farming materials, the ministry has ordered authorities nationwide to exempt vehicles carrying agricultural produce and machinery from road tolls. Such vehicles are also allowed to use the "green channel", a fast lane for emergency traffic, while epidemic prevention and control measures remain in force.

The ministry has also established a Logistics Guarantee Office to oversee national demand for transportation 24 hours a day, undertake overall planning and dispatch key materials and workers to ensure the continuation of spring farming work, she added.