BEIJING — Farm produce quality has improved in China in the first half of this year thanks to stringent oversight, official data showed.

About 97.2 percent of the farm produce tested for quality passed the checks in H1, 0.1 percentage points more than last year, data from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs showed.

Of the 108 kinds of agricultural goods monitored by the ministry, 64 kinds reported pass rate of over 99 percent, with the quality of vegetables reaching record high, the ministry said.

The tests also found issues such as excessive pesticide residues and the use of veterinary drugs, which the ministry has asked local governments to crack down on.

Since 2001, China has been monitoring the quality and safety of farm produce, with several adjustments to optimize the monitoring mechanism.

Currently, the tests are conducted on a quarterly basis on 108 kinds of agricultural products in 153 cities.