Published by ChinaMNC · Zhenlai
Jilin Province Issues Measures to Support Comprehensive Straw Utilization: A Guide for Foreign Founders
Jilin Provincial Government has released new measures supporting comprehensive straw utilization, covering incineration control zones, subsidies for straw return to fields, collection and storage infrastructure, and industrial projects. Foreign founders operating agricultural or bio-based businesses in China should note the subsidy categories and compliance requirements.
Jilin Releases Support Measures for Comprehensive Straw Utilization
The General Office of the Jilin Provincial People's Government has issued a notice printing the Measures for Supporting Comprehensive Straw Utilization in Jilin Province (Jizhengban Gui [2026] No. 1). The document was signed on August 15, 2026, and published on August 25, 2026. It is addressed to municipal and county governments, the Changbai Mountain Management Committee, provincial departments, and relevant centrally stationed units in Jilin.
For foreign founders considering agricultural processing, bio-based materials, feed production, or biomass energy projects in northeast China, the measures set out where subsidies apply, which activities are restricted, and what infrastructure the province aims to build. The following summary is organized around practical points a foreign-invested enterprise should understand.
Background and Policy Objectives
The measures state that they are intended to implement ecological civilization requirements, address issues identified in central ecological and environmental protection inspections, accelerate development of the straw industry, improve the long-term mechanism for comprehensive utilization, and strengthen the foundations of grain security and ecological security. The document identifies responsible units for each measure, including the Provincial Department of Ecology and Environment, the Provincial Forestry and Grassland Bureau, the Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the Provincial Animal Husbandry Bureau, the Provincial Development and Reform Commission, the Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology, the Provincial Energy Bureau, and municipal and county governments.
Incineration Control Zones and Compliance
Under the measures, areas within one kilometer of railways, expressways, national and provincial highways, and airports in the province, within 50 meters of forest edges, and protected cultivation plots are designated as no-burn zones. County governments are to delineate protected cultivation no-burn zones annually, with dynamic adjustment permitted. Open burning of straw is prohibited in no-burn zones. Areas outside these zones are limited-burn zones, where controlled burning is to be carried out in a scientific and orderly manner.
The Provincial Department of Ecology and Environment, together with relevant departments, is to complete a "one map" of no-burn zones and incorporate it into a provincial integrated supervision platform for planned straw burning. Related local regulations and systems are to be formulated or revised. Ecological and environmental departments at all levels are to strengthen supervision, while municipal and county governments bear primary responsibility for straw burning control. Foreign-invested agricultural operations should map their plots against these zones before planning any residue disposal by burning.
Subsidies for Straw Return to Fields
The measures provide several subsidy categories for straw return and soil protection:
- Black soil protection: Counties in typical black soil areas implementing black soil protection and utilization projects may receive support. Where organic fertilizer produced from straw and other materials is applied, the subsidy is no less than RMB 150 per mu, based on annual task areas set by the province.
- Protected cultivation with higher straw coverage: For projects achieving straw coverage of 60% or more, the subsidy ceiling rises to RMB 80 per mu. Where one of strip tillage, harrowing-mixing, or deep loosening is also carried out, an additional RMB 25 per mu is added, raising the ceiling to RMB 105 per mu. Subsidies for coverage below 30% are eliminated province-wide. Plots that have been burned are not eligible for subsidy after verification.
- Full straw return in major grain-producing counties: Counties with large straw resources may use funds including 20% of central awards for super grain-producing counties, comprehensive straw utilization funds, and provincial project funds. For autumn operations such as deep plowing or crushing-mixing of corn straw for full return, or rice paddy mud-mixing and dry-leveling without water harrowing, the subsidy is RMB 80 per mu.
Collection, Storage, and Processing Infrastructure
County governments are to organize orderly removal of straw from fields, except plots subject to return practices such as protected cultivation, strip tillage, deep plowing, crushing-mixing, and burying. Sloped and hilly land where mechanical removal is not feasible may be handled manually. The Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs is to strengthen guidance on straw removal in no-burn and limited-burn zones, support baling and transport, reduce farmers' removal costs, and improve collection efficiency.
Counties with large straw resources may use comprehensive straw utilization funds to build county-level collection, storage, and processing centers, township transfer stations, and village-level temporary storage points, following the province's construction guidelines for distributed straw collection, storage, and processing centers for material use. Project entities implementing high-straw-consumption projects — including green hydrogen, green methanol, feed, biomass combined heat and power, environmentally friendly panels, carbon-based products, and polylactic acid — are supported in building supporting straw collection and processing centers. Construction entities must maintain protective measures and implement safety management responsibilities.
Feed, Substrate, and Industrial Utilization Subsidies
Counties may use funds including comprehensive straw utilization funds, major grain-producing county funds, beef and mutton-producing county funds, and grassland ecological protection subsidy and reward funds for feed utilization:
- For single households collecting, storing, and processing more than 100 tons of yellow silage fermented feed or ruminant compound feed, the subsidy is RMB 35 per ton of straw.
- For newly built, renovated, or expanded yellow (green) silage pits of 500 cubic meters or more, the subsidy is RMB 30 per cubic meter.
For substrate utilization, counties with large straw resources may use comprehensive straw utilization funds. Where straw is used to produce substrates for edible fungi, rice seedlings, or horticultural crops, the subsidy is RMB 60 per ton of straw.
Counties may also coordinate regular assistance funds to plan and implement straw comprehensive utilization industrialization projects that fit the permitted use of funds and are closely linked to the interests of groups at risk of returning to poverty.
Central Investment and Provincial Fund Support
The Provincial Development and Reform Commission, the Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology, and the Provincial Energy Bureau are to guide localities in planning and reserving projects in line with central budget investment directions. These include green hydrogen, green methanol, biomass combined heat and power, biodegradable new materials, environmentally friendly panels, carbon-based products, and polylactic acid projects, with the aim of seeking central budget investment support. The document also states that provincial government investment funds will be enhanced for straw comprehensive utilization-related projects.
Practical Takeaways for Foreign Founders
Foreign founders should note that most subsidies are channeled through county-level governments and specific fund categories, and that eligibility depends on project type, scale, and compliance with provincial guidelines. Operations involving straw collection, feed processing, substrate production, or bio-based materials may align with the supported categories, but the measures condition support on designated zones, minimum coverage or volume thresholds, and safety responsibilities. Because the document assigns implementation to local governments and several provincial departments, verifying county-level arrangements and application procedures is essential before committing capital.
This summary is based on information published by the relevant Chinese government website and is general information, not legal or tax advice.
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