ANQIU, Shandong: Vice-Premier Wu Yi yesterday lauded the standardized management system that has been set up for the agriculture industry in Shandong`s Anqiu County.

The system sets standards on the use of fertilizers and pesticides and allows officials to track potentially harmful chemicals from where they were made to the farmers who use them.

Wu, who was on an inspection tour of the area, described the system as "effective in meeting demand and handling changes in the international market" and "worth promotion nationwide".

It also brings irrigation and planting area conditions, particularly where the use of chemicals is concerned, under a quality control system overseen by local officials, Jiang Zongliang, deputy head of the Shandong provincial quality supervision, inspection and quarantine bureau, said.

"Local government departments provide technical guidance and conduct production and quality testing. The system has standardized production, processing and exporting," Jiang said.

Under the system, farmers must use approved pesticides for all vegetables and other crops, whether they are destined for export or local use.

Liu Haiyan, general manager of Anqiu Food Exports Trade Co Ltd, said the system had reduced production costs by 15 percent and improved quality.

"We no longer have to sign individual contracts with every farmer to make sure they meet quality standards," Liu said.

Anqiu has received numerous vegetable orders from Japan, the Republic of Korea, the United States and European countries.

The county had sold $150 million worth of agriculture products for export in the first nine months of the year. That represented a 30 percent year-on-year increase.

The price of ginger exports to Japan hit $1,300 per ton this year, up from $600 per ton last year.

"Anqiu has found an effective way to meet international demand and to respond to changes in the market," Wu said.

Shandong is the source of nearly one-third of the country`s vegetable exports.

The province has established eight categories of region-based "seamless" agricultural production bases ranging from vegetables, chickens, rabbits and fruit to aquatic products.