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Protection of Limited Cultivated Land a Priority
Vice-Premier Wen Jiabao called on citizens to protect the country's limited amount of cultivated land, during observance of the 10th National Land Day Sunday.
Warning the conflict between China's growing population and its insufficient land resources would remain in place for the foreseeable future, Wen said China must make protection of its cultivated lands a priority.
Statistics from the Ministry of Land and Resources indicate cultivated land per capita in China is 0.11 hectares, less than 47 per cent of the world's average.
The per capita cultivated land of 666 Chinese counties has fallen below the limit set by the United Nations, which is 0.05 hectares per person.
The country's building boom has devoured its already scant supply of cultivated lands.
Wen stressed economic development should not be contradictory to the country's mission of protecting cultivated land.
China's Land and Resources Minister Tian Fengshan said recently that most Chinese cities, towns, and villages will not need any more cultivated land in 10 years, if they can utilize the potential of the land they already have.
To efficiently utilize land in the country's western development campaign, the ministry has recently formulated the Outline on Land Resources Development and Use for Western Development Programme.
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