Defending China's arable land area from further shrinking is a
war that cannot be lost, and it can be won with tactics, a senior
official said yesterday.
"The red line of 120 million hectares of arable land cannot be
crossed," Minister of Land and Resources Xu Shaoshi said.
The central authorities have pegged 120 million hectares as the
official minimum of arable land deemed necessary to feed the
country's population, and pledged to implement the "most rigid"
measures to protect the land.
At the end of last year, arable land was 121.8 million hectares
compared with 122 million hectares in 2005.
"Admittedly, it's rather difficult to protect arable land while
at the same time ensuring (the supply of land for) development we
must find a solution to the conundrum as soon as possible. "
Xu, who assumed his post nearly three months ago, conceded that
infractions such as illegal land seizures and arbitrary changing of
farmland zoning, had made land protection all the more urgent.
In the first five months of this year alone, China logged at
least 24,200 illegal land-use cases involving 14,700 hectares, only
slightly lower than the same period last year, Xu told a press
conference held by the State Council Information Office.
About 80 percent of all cases of illegal use of land involve
houses built in the countryside.
The remaining 20 percent pertain to local governments approving
land use against the law. But the latter cases account for 80
percent of all illegal land, he said.
This was partly why the central government put into place a
"State land inspection system" last year, according to the
ministry.
"The national interest comes above all else," Xu said. "We will
allow no leeway in our fight to guard the 120 million hectare red
line, and we most definitely will."
Part of the confidence comes from the fact that there is
potential to make more land available for cultivation and
development, according to the minister.
China has about 260 million hectares of unused land which could
be utilized, he said, without giving details.
Another 13.3 million hectares that had been abandoned for
various reasons can also be reclaimed, he said.
Over the five years since 2000, China added an average of
285,300 hectares of arable land each year through various means, Xu
said.
"What is crucial is that construction should, as much as
possible, not be on farmland, and if it must, it should use as
little land as possible."
(China Daily July 13, 2007)