Heilongjiang issues implementation opinions to fully implement the system of commitment-based certification for qualified agricultural products

Agricultural Observation

Economic Observer Network According to the Heilongjiang Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, in order to strengthen the responsibilities of agricultural product production and operation entities and improve the agricultural product quality and safety supervision system, recently, the Heilongjiang Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and the Provincial Market Supervision Administration jointly issued the “Implementation Opinions on the Implementation of the ‘Agricultural Product Quality and Safety Commitment and Certification Management Measures’” (hereinafter referred to as the “Opinions”). The document comprehensively deploys the promotion of the commitment and certification system, building a solid defense line for “food safety” from the source.

According to the “Opinions,” Heilongjiang Province will establish a “Six Incorporations” training system, integrating certification system training into six major systems: high-quality farmer cultivation, agricultural technology promotion, green food, regulatory personnel rotation, technical lectures, and agricultural law enforcement. Additionally, specialized courses on regulations, in-depth processes, and production entities will be offered, targeting different groups such as production and operation entities, regulatory law enforcement personnel, and purchasing agents for precise training. Agricultural counties (cities, districts) will carry out comprehensive publicity campaigns to ensure that 100% of enterprises, cooperatives, and production and operation entities are aware.

All regions will conduct thorough surveys and self-inspections, establishing a “one household, one file” system for key categories such as vegetables (including edible fungi), fruits, live livestock and poultry, aquaculture products, and eggs, with a dynamic registry to be completed by the end of March 2026. The “big to small” strategy will be implemented to supervise large-scale entities in issuing certificates properly, while promoting participation of small farmers through rural service points and “cooperative + small farmers” models. Priority will be given to achieving full coverage within the year for vegetables, aquatic products, and eggs, gradually expanding to fruits, livestock, and poultry.

The “Opinions” clarify that differentiated graded inspections will be carried out based on the scale, credit level, and risk of production entities, with high-risk entities subjected to more frequent inspections. The promotion of a complementary model of electronic and paper certificates will be encouraged, utilizing national agricultural product traceability platforms and provincial smart agricultural safety platforms to issue electronic certificates, and exploring blockchain technology to enhance credibility. Acts such as failure to issue certificates as required or forging and misusing certificates will be investigated and publicly disclosed as typical cases to create a strong deterrent.

Heilongjiang Province will focus on two major advantageous industries: fresh sweet corn (Shuishui area) and edible fungi (Mudanjiang wood ear mushrooms), holding industry-specific promotion meetings to push for full certification coverage. The “Ten Hundred Thousand” pilot projects will continue, promoting township rapid testing service stations with real-time data upload. Additionally, exemplary cases of “Double Ten” will be selected, including ten government supervision models and ten production and purchase entities, to lead by example and drive overall improvement.

The “Opinions” require all regions to carefully implement the connection mechanism between origin certification and market access, strengthen information sharing and joint law enforcement between agriculture and rural affairs departments and market supervision authorities. Purchase entities must collect and retain certificates for at least six months when buying agricultural products; products without certificates must not be purchased, ensuring traceability from farm to table.

To ensure the effective implementation of the system, Heilongjiang Province will establish a three-tier responsibility system of “municipal coordination, county main responsibility, and township implementation,” incorporate certification management funds into annual departmental budgets, and include implementation progress in food safety annual assessments. A quarterly reporting system will be established to dynamically monitor progress, ensuring that the commitment and certification system takes root and proves effective in Heilongjiang Province.