November 8, 2013

Chinese government to enact land reform to increase agricultural output

Agricultural experts and reformists in China are calling on the policy makers to rationalise the Chinese farming sector and increase output.

China has managed to maintain a steady growth in its agricultural output so far. According to the National Statistics Bureau, in the third quarter of 2013, China registered 131.89 million tonnes of summer grain crops, edged up by 1.5 on-year; while the rice output reached 34.07 million tonnes, climbed by 2.4%.

In the first three quarters of 2013, China's livestock and poultry meat output totalled 58.03 million tonnes, a slight increase of 1.3%. Of the meat products, pork accounted for 38.31 million tonnes, a rise of 2.1% on-year.

However, with a rapidly urbanized population, China finds it increasingly difficult for the agricultural sector to keep up with the demand for food. Though China's rural area is rife with small plots, where farming is still based on traditional means passed down through the generations, the villages are often half empty as more youngsters are flooding to cities for higher-paying jobs.

The Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang is advocating for rural reform. Li said that to facilitate the agricultural modernization, China will promote large-scale planting based on joint-stock ownership of land. A change in the administration system is expected to be heralded at the upcoming Third Plenum of the Communist Party, which will be held from November 9 to 12.

The existing Land Administration Law only allows farmers to lease their land without changing how it is used or managed, but the sale of the land is strictly prohibited.