August 31, 2010

Land consolidation to boost China's grain safety

Grain production capacity will increase by 227 million kilogrammes when the government in East China's Anhui province consolidates 3.4 million mu (229,000 hectares) of rural land from 2010 to 2012, according to reports.

The land consolidation campaign was launched in accordance with plans the provincial government signed with the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Land and Resources separately in May 2010, aimed at expanding farmland in rural areas to ensure national grain security.

Besides Anhui, nine other provinces have also signed contracts with the two ministries.

Two years ago, the municipal government in Hefei, capital of Anhui province, led other cities in re-planning rural land, with more than 20,000 mu (1,333 hectares) of farmland reclaimed from construction.

Following the policy, Guanting village in Hefei built multi-storied buildings for farmers, replacing their scattered flat houses and turning the previously occupied land back into farmland. Thus the percentage of land for housing in the village has been decreased from 10.6% to 2.8%.