From Xinhua (link):
A concerned Li Chunlong can not understand why his farmland does not yield as much quality corn as before.
The 55-year-old farmer lives in Northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province, which is dubbed “the Granary of China” for its large areas of fertile and productive black soil.
However, a recent research report said that the ecological environment is in a critical condition in Northeast China, which also includes Jilin and Liaoning provinces, as excessive land reclamation, grazing and irrational use of fertilizer and pesticide, have led to a sharp deterioration in the quality of its soil.
