The Ministry of Agriculture set up a unit to tackle soil pollution and degradation of arable land.

The new arable land quality monitoring and protection center will build a nationwide network to monitor arable land quality and treat degradation and pollution, said Zeng Yande, an official at the ministry.

The black soil in northeastern provinces is degrading, farmland in some northwestern regions are plagued by salinization while a few places in southern provinces are suffering from heavy metal pollution, according to Zeng.

The move came amid efforts to ensure food security as climate change and pollutants eroded arable land and reduced its capacity to produce food.

Total arable land in the country was 135 million hectares at the end of 2015. China has set a base line of 124 million ha.