Published by ChinaMNC · Wangqing

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 burning restrictions, subsidies for straw return to fields, collection and storage infrastructure, feed and substrate utilization, and industrial project support. Foreign founders operating agricultural, bioenergy, or biomaterials businesses in Jilin should review these incentives and compliance requirements.

Jilin Releases Measures Supporting Comprehensive Straw Utilization

The General Office of the Jilin Provincial People's Government has issued a notice printing the Several Measures for Supporting Comprehensive Straw Utilization in Jilin Province (document number Ji Zheng Ban Gui [2026] No. 1). The document was finalized 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, bioenergy, biomaterials, or feed operations in China, the measures set out both compliance obligations and financial incentives that may affect site selection, sourcing, and project planning.

Policy Context

The measures are framed around implementing ecological civilization requirements, addressing issues identified in central ecological environmental protection inspections, accelerating the straw industry, and improving long-term comprehensive utilization mechanisms. The stated goals include safeguarding grain security and ecological security.

Burning Restrictions and Compliance

Under the measures, areas within one kilometer of railways, expressways, national and provincial trunk roads, and airports, within 50 meters of forest edges, and conservation tillage plots are designated as no-burning zones. County governments will delineate conservation tillage no-burning zones annually, with dynamic adjustment permitted. Open burning of straw is prohibited in these zones. Other areas are limited-burning zones where controlled burning is managed in a scientific and orderly manner.

The provincial Department of Ecology and Environment, together with relevant departments, will produce a unified no-burning zone map and integrate it into a provincial straw planned burning supervision platform. Local regulations and systems will also be developed or revised. Ecological environment departments at all levels are to strengthen supervision, while municipal and county governments bear primary responsibility for prohibiting straw burning.

Foreign founders with agricultural operations or straw sourcing arrangements should confirm whether their land or supply areas fall within no-burning or limited-burning zones.

Subsidies for Straw Return and Soil Protection

The measures provide several subsidies for straw return to fields and black soil protection:

• Organic fertilizer from straw: Counties in typical black soil areas implementing black soil protection and utilization projects may receive at least RMB 150 per mu for applying organic fertilizer produced from straw and other materials through composting, based on annual task areas set by the province.
• Conservation tillage with higher straw coverage: For straw coverage above 60 percent, the subsidy ceiling rises to RMB 80 per mu. Where strip tillage, harrowing-mixing, or subsoiling is also carried out, an additional RMB 25 per mu is provided, raising the ceiling to RMB 105 per mu. Subsidies for coverage below 30 percent are cancelled province-wide, and burned plots will not receive subsidies after verification.
• Full straw return: Counties with large straw resources may use central awards for super grain-producing counties (20 percent), comprehensive straw utilization funds, and provincial project funds for straw return. For autumn operations such as corn deep plowing or crushing-mixing with full straw return, or rice paddy stirring, dry leveling with no water harrowing, the subsidy is RMB 80 per mu.

Straw Collection and Removal

County governments are to organize orderly removal of straw from fields other than plots using conservation tillage, strip tillage, deep plowing, crushing-mixing, or burial. For sloping and hilly land where mechanical removal is not feasible, manual removal is to be used. The provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs will strengthen guidance on straw removal in no-burning and limited-burning zones, support baling and transport, reduce farmers' removal costs, and improve collection efficiency.

Collection, Storage, and Processing Infrastructure

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 in accordance with the province's construction guidelines for distributed straw collection, storage, and processing centers for raw material use. Entities implementing projects with large straw consumption, such as green hydrogen, green methanol, feed, biomass combined heat and power, environmentally friendly panels, carbon-based products, and polylactic acid, may receive support to build supporting straw collection, storage, and processing centers. Construction entities must improve protective measures and implement safety management responsibilities.

Feed and Substrate Utilization

Counties may use funds from comprehensive straw utilization, grain-producing county awards, cattle and sheep transfer county awards, and grassland ecological protection subsidy and reward policies for straw feed utilization. For single households collecting, storing, and processing more than 100 tons of yellow storage fermented feed or ruminant compound feed, the subsidy is RMB 35 per ton of straw. For new, renovated, or expanded yellow or green storage silos of 500 cubic meters or more, the subsidy is RMB 30 per cubic meter.

Counties with large straw resources may also use comprehensive straw utilization funds for substrate utilization. For straw used to make substrates for edible fungi, rice, or horticultural crops, the subsidy is RMB 60 per ton of straw.

Industrialization and Investment Support

Counties may coordinate regular assistance funds to plan and implement straw comprehensive utilization industrialization projects that align with fund use directions and are closely linked to the interests of people at risk of returning to poverty.

The Provincial Development and Reform Commission, the Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology, and the Provincial Energy Administration are to guide localities in planning and reserving projects such as green hydrogen, green methanol, biomass combined heat and power, biodegradable new materials, environmentally friendly panels, carbon-based products, and polylactic acid in line with central budget investment directions, and to seek central budget investment support. The measures also refer to enhancing provincial government investment funds for straw comprehensive utilization projects.

Practical Takeaways for Foreign Founders

• Check whether proposed facilities or sourcing areas fall within no-burning or limited-burning zones.
• Consider how subsidy categories for straw return, feed, substrate, and collection infrastructure may affect project economics.
• Note that collection, storage, and processing centers must comply with provincial construction guidelines and safety requirements.
• Engage with county-level authorities, which are responsible for organizing implementation and allocating many of the funds.

This summary is based on information published by the relevant Chinese government website and is general information, not legal or tax advice.