Last year at the National People's Congress, Zhang Jinhai, a native of Dongying in East China's Shandong province, received positive responses from relevant national departments for his proposals on the comprehensive utilization of salt-alkali land in the Yellow River Delta.

Boasting over 227.33 hectares of salt-alkali land, Dongying is a great example of coastal salt-alkali land in China.

Zhang holds that water is a key element to the improvement of salt-alkali land, so he advised to increase support for agricultural infrastructure in the salt-alkali lands, a suggestion that received a positive response from the Ministry of Water Resources. Shandong has also actively pushed for the implementation of related policies.

In 2024, 131 new and renovated water conservancy projects were implemented in the Yellow River Delta, with an investment of 6.14 billion yuan ($844.7 million). A total of 51.57 million cubic meters of water was diverted, dedicated to pilot projects focused on the comprehensive utilization of reserve farmland resources, including salt-alkali land.

These projects and policies have benefited over 600,000 hectares of farmland in the Yellow River Delta and improved the lives of more than six million people.

In Dongying, what was once an endless expanse of salt-alkali land has now been transformed into over 22.2 million hectares of arable land.

Before this year's two sessions, Zhang Jinhai will meet with staff members from relevant government departments and agricultural experts to discuss the cultivation and promotion of salt-alkali tolerant plants.