Published by ChinaMNC · Shulan

Jilin Province Issues Measures to Support Comprehensive Straw Utilization: What Foreign Founders Should Know

Jilin Province has published measures supporting comprehensive straw utilization, covering burning controls, subsidies for straw return, collection and storage infrastructure, feed and substrate use, and project financing. Here is a practical overview for foreign founders operating in China.

Jilin Releases Measures on 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 (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 the governments of all cities and prefectures, the Changbai Mountain Management Committee, county-level governments, provincial departments and directly affiliated bodies, and relevant centrally administered units based in Jilin.

For foreign founders, the measures are relevant if you are considering agricultural processing, biomass energy, feed production, bio-based materials, or environmental services in Jilin. The document sets out enforcement rules and subsidy arrangements that can affect project economics and site selection decisions.

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 the development of the straw industry, improve long-term comprehensive utilization mechanisms, and protect the province's food security and ecological security foundations.

Burning Controls and Zoning

Under the measures, the province designates prohibited burning zones along railways, expressways, and national and provincial trunk roads, within one kilometer of airports, within 50 meters of forest edges, and on conservation tillage plots. County-level governments are to pre-designate the conservation tillage prohibited zones each year, and these may be adjusted dynamically. Open burning of straw is fully prohibited in these zones. Areas outside them are designated as restricted burning zones, where controlled burning is to be managed in a scientific and orderly manner.

The Provincial Department of Ecology and Environment, together with relevant departments, is to produce a single map of prohibited burning zones and incorporate it into a provincial straw burning supervision platform. Related local regulations and systems are to be drafted or revised at the same time. Ecology and environment departments at each level are to strengthen supervision, and city, prefecture, and county governments bear primary responsibility for prohibiting straw burning.

Subsidies for Straw Return and Soil Protection

The measures include several subsidy arrangements:

• Organic fertilizer from straw: Support is provided to counties in typical black soil areas for black soil protection and utilization projects. Where organic fertilizer made from straw and similar materials is applied, the subsidy is no less than 150 yuan per mu, based on the annual task area set by the province.
• Conservation tillage: Where straw coverage exceeds 60 percent, the subsidy ceiling rises to 80 yuan per mu. If one of strip tillage, harrowing-mixing, or subsoiling is also carried out, a further 25 yuan per mu is added, raising the ceiling to 105 yuan per mu. Subsidies for coverage below 30 percent are cancelled across the province. Plots that have been burned are not eligible after verification.
• Full straw return: Counties with large straw resources may use funds including 20 percent of the central super grain-producing county reward, comprehensive straw utilization funds, and provincial project funds for straw return. For autumn operations such as deep plowing or crushing-mixing of corn with full straw return, or rice paddy mud mixing and dry leveling without water harrowing, the subsidy is 80 yuan per mu.

Collection, Storage, and Processing Infrastructure

County governments are to organize orderly removal of straw from fields other than those used for conservation tillage, strip tillage, deep plowing, crushing-mixing, and burying. For sloping and hilly land where machinery cannot be used, manual removal is to be adopted. The Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs is to strengthen guidance on straw removal in prohibited and restricted burning 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 guidelines for distributed straw collection, storage, and processing centers. Project operators with high straw consumption — including green hydrogen, green methanol, feed, biomass combined heat and power, environmentally friendly panels, carbon-based products, and polylactic acid — may build supporting collection and processing centers. Operators must maintain protective measures and implement safety management responsibilities.

Feed, Substrate, and Industrial Uses

Counties may use funds from comprehensive straw utilization, grain-producing county, cattle and sheep output county, and grassland ecological protection subsidy programs for feed use. For single households collecting, storing, and processing more than 100 tons of yellow silage fermented feed or ruminant compound feed, the subsidy is 35 yuan per ton of straw. For new, modified, or expanded silage pits of 500 cubic meters or more, the subsidy is 30 yuan per cubic meter.

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

County governments may coordinate regular assistance funds to plan and implement straw utilization industrialization projects that fit the permitted use of funds and are closely linked to the interests of people at risk of returning to poverty.

Project Financing and Investment

The Provincial Development and Reform Commission, the Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology, and the Provincial Energy Administration are to guide localities to plan and reserve 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. Localities are encouraged to seek central budget investment support. The document also refers to enhancing provincial government investment funds for straw utilization projects.

Practical Takeaways for Foreign Founders

• Site selection: Check whether a proposed site falls within a prohibited burning zone, including buffer areas near transport routes, airports, and forests.
• Subsidy planning: Subsidy amounts are tied to mu-based task areas, coverage thresholds, and tonnage or volume thresholds, so project design should match these criteria.
• Infrastructure: Collection, storage, and processing facilities are supported for high-consumption projects, but operators must meet safety and protective requirements.
• Financing: Project categories listed in the measures may be eligible for central budget investment support, subject to applicable rules.

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