BEIJING -- China's pesticide use has dropped in the past three years amid a campaign to ensure zero growth in pesticide use by 2020, an official said Monday.

Zeng Yande, head of the crop production department of the Ministry of Agriculture, said the ministry tightened market access and punished unlicensed companies as well as the makers and sellers of fake pesticides this year.

Besides the drop in pesticide use, China has also raised the efficiency of pesticide use and stepped up the use of biological pesticides, Zeng said.

China's average annual pesticide use in 2012-2014 rose 9.2 percent from the 2009-2011 level, weighing on production costs and food safety.

In early 2015, the ministry started a campaign to ensure zero growth in pesticide application by 2020.

Zeng said more efforts will be made as part of the campaign, including popularizing green pest control technology, supporting professional crop protection organizations and increasing the efficiency of pesticide application.