China has launched a national geological survey of its major agricultural production zones to guide the sound development of the country's agriculture, a senior official said in Shenyang, capital city of northeast China's Liaoning Province, Wednesday.

Shou Jiahua, vice minister of land and resources, said the geological investigation would mainly focus on the major agricultural production zones in the eastern coastal areas, the Yangtze River valley, the Yellow River valley and the northeast China region.

"We hope to have a clear and thorough knowledge of the geology of these regions by the end of 2008," Shou, who is also the director of the China Geological Survey Bureau, said at a project signing ceremony between the ministry and northeast China's Liaoning Province.

Shou said the clarification of the "agricultural land gene" would provide basic data to develop safe eco-agriculture with high yield and quality.

Most of the 900 million farmers in China now grow their crops according to traditional methods. However, such an approach often results in pest damage and low output.

The ministry has signed agreements to establish detailed soil files with chemical element analyses for 10 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities since 1999.

Though China is now able to feed 22 percent of the world's population on about seven percent of the world's cultivated land, its agricultural sector has come under increasing pressure from foreign exporters during recent years, especially since China joined the World Trade Organization in 2001.

(Xinhua News Agency August 28, 2003)