The authorities will not allow the amount of arable land in the
country to shrink to less than 120 million hectares, a top land
official said yesterday while announcing the launch of a nationwide
land-use survey.
Addressing a "National Land Day" ceremony yesterday, Land and
Resources Minister Xu Shaoshi said conservative land-use would be a
key part of economic development and social stability.
Xu warned that the amount of arable land was shrinking due to
relentless construction and a poor land-use system.
The most recent national survey, released in October, showed
that the country's arable land had dwindled to 121.8 million
hectares, representing a year-on-year decline of 307,000
hectares.
Most of the lost land went to construction, natural disasters
and reforestation, the ministry said.
China has less than 10 percent of the world's arable land and
one-fifth of the world's population, so land-loss poses a grave
threat to the country's sustainable development, Xu said.
The rapid industrialization and urbanization in recent years and
the country's increasing population have all made claims on the
amount of available land, he said.
"The gap between the supply of land and demand for it will
continue to grow," he said.
"We must stick to the strictest possible land-management system,
use land in a conservative way and firmly guard the 120
million-hectare bottom line."
Xu said the land-approval process would be tightened to force
local governments to make better use of their available land and
spur the disposal of land that has already been approved for
use.
And next month the authorities will kick off a three-year
national land-use survey.
Vice-Premier Zeng Peiyan said last week the survey would help
the authorities get a clear picture of the nation's land resources
and improve the land-management system.
The authorities will also set up a database to monitor land use,
he said.
The authorities conducted the first such survey from 1984 to
1996, from which they developed a rough picture of the available
land resources.
However, there were concerns that local officials had hid or
even fabricated data during the inspection. Soaring property prices
have made land sales very lucrative, and some local governments
have waded into the market for extra funds.
As a result, cases of illegal land acquisition have become more
frequent in recent years. They often involve local officials who
have used their power to approve land deals to fill their own
pockets.
To clamp down on the possibility of cheating in the forthcoming
survey, Xu said, the ministry would conduct random checks and
punish anyone who fabricates or hides data.
(China Daily June 26, 2007)