BEIJING -- Lawmakers are deliberating a draft law to protect the fertile black soil in the country's northeastern provinces, amid efforts to ensure food security and protect the ecosystem.

The draft law was submitted for its second reading on Monday to a session of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, the top legislature.

The black soil, or chernozem soil, found in China's northeastern provinces of Heilongjiang, Jilin and Liaoning and in some parts of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, produces about one-quarter of the country's total grain output, meaning it is key to China's food supply.

But years of excessive reclamation have eroded its nutrients and the chernozem layer is thinning, which threatens the country's ecological security and sustainable agricultural development.

To safeguard grain security, the draft law requires the black soil to be applied to growing "farm produce including grain, oil crops, sugar crops and vegetables."

Strict protection must be provided for the black soil that has been designated as part of the country's "permanent basic farmland" to ensure stable grain yields and quality, the draft law says.

While calling for efforts to prevent damage to the black soil, the draft law also urges rural market entities of all ownership types to make frugal and reasonable use of the black soil and promote agricultural standardization to increase the soil's output.

The country should encourage the participation of social capital and protect the rights and interests of those investing in the protection of the black soil, according to the draft law.

Its first reading took place in December 2021. China has since been soliciting public opinions on the law.