Heavy metals pollute 12 million tons of grain a year in China ― a loss which could have fed 40 million people. The contamination leads to economic losses totaling CNY20 billion, according to the Ministry of Land and Resources. The Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) has put the disposal of batteries, a major source of heavy metals pollution, on top of its agenda this year. Toxic metal readings of nearly 40% of farmland in the Pearl River Delta exceed legal limits, it reported. Chen Tongbin, an expert with the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), estimated that 10% of the country’s farmland was polluted. It takes at least three years for farmland to recover and some chemicals remain for decades, said Li Zhi’an, an agricultural expert with the CAS. Nine Chinese ministries have launched a year-long joint campaign to tackle heavy metals pollution. Each province is required to release a list of lead-acid battery makers, assemblers and recyclers by the end of July, said Zhang Lijun, Vice Minister of Environmental Protection. Any plant violating regulations will be closed down. The Ministry aims that by 2015 heavy metal emissions in key areas will be reduced by 15% compared to 2007 levels, as part of China’s environment protection plan for the next five-year period. China makes half of the world’s batteries, yet the industry’s environmental record is poor. Most small and middle-sized manufacturers failed to follow safety controls, nor did they properly treat waste, revealed an inspection of 388 plants in 11 provinces. In 2009, Chinese battery makers released 12 million tons of heavy metal tainted liquid and 22 million tons of solid waste, the Shanghai Daily reports.