Biodegradable film: Policy Support with Subsidies Ranging from 90 to 200 Yuan per Acre

Zhejiang Yuyao's total subsidy reaches 200 yuan per mu; Inner Mongolia Chifeng City's Ningcheng County subsidy reaches 170 yuan per mu; Shandong Guanquan County subsidy is 168 yuan per mu; Guizhou Province Yuqing County subsidy is 90 yuan per mu.

Biodegradable film, as a key material to tackle the "white pollution" in farmland and promote green agricultural development, has always been guided and supported by policies and funding in its research, production, and application. In recent years, China has established a policy system that integrates national coordination and local implementation, with supporting funds forming a complete chain of support from scientific research breakthroughs to application promotion, laying a solid foundation for the large-scale application of biodegradable film.

1. National Policy System: From Legal Protection to Standard Norms

At the national level, a comprehensive policy framework is established through laws and regulations as well as special plans, which not only clarifies the development direction but also standardizes market order, providing institutional guarantees for the development of biodegradable films.

In terms of laws and regulations, support policies are gradually deepening.

In 2016, the "Soil Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan" first proposed to "research and formulate standards for biodegradable agricultural films," paving the way for the standardization of biodegradable film.

In 2018, the "Soil Pollution Prevention and Control Law of the People's Republic of China" clearly established the legal status of "the state encourages and supports the use of biodegradable agricultural films" in legal form.

In 2020, the "Management Measures for Agricultural Film" further regulated the market, clearly stating that "the production, sale, and use of agricultural films that do not meet mandatory standards are prohibited, and the production and use of fully biodegradable agricultural films are encouraged and supported." It also requires the establishment of a production and sales ledger and a traceability system.

In 2023, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, in conjunction with the State Administration for Market Regulation and three other departments, issued a notice on "Further Strengthening the Regulatory Enforcement of Agricultural Film," deploying the investigation and handling of illegal activities related to non-standard agricultural film, in order to block the entry of inferior products into farmland from the source.

In addition, the central government's "No. 1 Document" in 2021 and 2022 repeatedly proposed "strengthening the research and promotion of biodegradable agricultural film" and "increasing the promotion of fully biodegradable plastic film," incorporating it into key agricultural work.

In terms of standard specifications, the country imposes dual standards to regulate product quality. The current national standard "Fully Biodegradable Agricultural Ground Cover Film" (GB/T 35795-2017) clearly defines core indicators such as thickness, tensile properties, and biodegradation rate (which must completely degrade into CO₂, H₂O, and mineral inorganic salts under specific conditions); at the same time, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs promotes the establishment of application technical regulations for different crops and regions, providing a basis for scientific use.

2. National funding support: from scientific research breakthroughs to application demonstrations

The country provides support for the technological innovation and application promotion of biodegradable film through special research funding, demonstration project funding, and other means.

In the field of scientific research tackling key challenges, the National Key R&D Program provides targeted support for breakthroughs in core technologies. The "14th Five-Year Plan" National Key R&D Program project "Creation and Industrialization of Fully Biodegradable Mulching Materials and Products" (2021YFD1700700) focuses on key technologies such as low-cost modification of core materials like PBAT and PLA, and regulation of degradation cycles. It promotes collaborative efforts among industry, academia, and research institutions, and has helped develop specialized mulching film formulations suitable for different crops such as potatoes and corn.

In the application demonstration field, the central government promotes large-scale verification through special pilot projects. In 2022, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and the Ministry of Finance launched a pilot program for the scientific use and recovery of plastic film, aiming to promote 5 million acres of fully biodegradable film in key film usage areas. Starting from 2021, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs has established 19 evaluation and application bases for fully biodegradable plastic film in 12 provinces (autonomous regions) including Hebei, Inner Mongolia, and Gansu, conducting field trials to verify the adaptability of different regions and crops. Data on degradation rates, soil impact, and crop yield increases are recorded through field trials to provide "replicable and promotable" practical experiences for promotion in different regions.

3. Financial subsidies: Central support and local enhancements

The funding subsidy for biodegradable film adopts a model of "central fixed base, local supplementation," reducing the cost for farmers.

The central government has established a basic subsidy for farmland using fully biodegradable film, with a standard of 60 yuan per mu, covering key aspects such as film procurement and application. On this basis, local governments can add additional subsidies according to actual needs (ranging from 30 to 120 yuan per mu), forming a combined support of "central + local." For example, the total subsidy in Yuyao, Zhejiang reaches 200 yuan per mu; in Ningcheng County, Chifeng City, Inner Mongolia, the subsidy reaches 170 yuan per mu; in Guanqu County, Shandong, the subsidy is 168 yuan per mu; and in Yuqing County, Guizhou Province, the subsidy is 90 yuan per mu.

These differentiated subsidy policies take into account both the economic level of the region and the local demand for film usage—such as Inner Mongolia and Gansu, which are traditional provinces for film usage, accelerating the process of replacing conventional film with biodegradable film through subsidies.

4. The increase in industry scale helps reduce costs.

The expansion of core raw material production capacity and the decrease in prices provide industrial support for the scaled application of biodegradable films. China’s PBAT (the core raw material for biodegradable films) production capacity is rapidly increasing and has reached 1.62 million tons per year. Companies such as Kingfa Technology, Lanshan Tunhe, Ruian Technology, Hubei Yihua, and Donghua Tianye have established large-scale production capabilities. The price of PBAT has dropped from 30,000 yuan/ton in 2021 to around 10,000 yuan/ton by 2025, directly leading to a reduction in the cost of the final application of biodegradable films, further narrowing the price gap with traditional films and creating favorable conditions for its promotion on a larger scale.

From the construction of a regulatory framework based on policies and regulations, to financial subsidies that lower application thresholds, and then to industrial upgrades that drive down costs, China has formed a complete system to support the development of biodegradable plastic film. This system not only addresses the issue of "technical feasibility," but also tackles the problem of "high application costs," promoting the transition of biodegradable plastic film from "pilot demonstration" to "scaled application," and providing strong support for the green transformation of agriculture and the management of "white pollution" in farmland.