HARBIN — Vice-Premier Hu Chunhua on May 4 stressed the protection of black soil, with tailored measures to ensure the country's food security.

Hu, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks during an on-site inspection in the city of Suihua, in Northeast China's Heilongjiang province.

Northeast China, one of the world's three major fertile chernozem regions, is a major area for maize and soybean farming where black soil produces high yields but declining soil fertility remains a problem. Long-term cultivation and overuse of fertilizers have degenerated the soil, threatening the local environment and grain production.

Describing black soil as the "giant panda of cultivated land," Hu said that it plays an irreplaceable role in ensuring China's food security.

Hu called for tailored conservation measures in different regions to increase the effectiveness of black-soil protection.

He also stressed strengthened mechanisms for relevant parties to take responsibility for black-soil protection, while punishing behaviors such as illegal digging and trade of the resource.