Every year on June 25, China celebrates National Land Day, which serves as a reminder to protect the land. This year, the Ministry of Natural Resources calls on the entire society to instill an awareness of land conservation and protection, safeguarding farmland in the same way that giant pandas are protected, and transforming every inch of land into a bountiful place for harvesting.

According to the Ministry of Natural Resources, China's total arable land area in 2022 has reached 126,700,000 hectares, up approximately 87,000 hectares from the end of 2021. This is China's second consecutive year of net increase in arable land, laying the groundwork for grain output to exceed 1.3 trillion kilograms for the seventh consecutive year, and the continuous loss in total arable land has been essentially halted.

A series of harsh actions have been implemented at all levels of government since the beginning of this year, reinforcing the foundation of food production. Recently, the Ministry of Natural Resources explicitly requested that all regions effectively prevent plains and mountain areas from being used to supplement arable land projects and arable land expansion be prohibited within "ecological protection red lines," wetlands, river and lake areas.

China first proposed the "red line" scheme in 2011 to put an end to decades of "irrational development" that had encroached on forests, wetlands and other precious ecosystems.

China has also marked permanent farmland across the country. Permanent farmland is legally defined as high-quality farmland crucial to improving the nation's food production, particularly the planting area of the three primary grains: rice, wheat and maize. Currently, over 100,000,000 hectares of permanent farmland have been designated across the country.

According to the Ministry of Natural Resources, permanent farmland cannot be converted into other forms of property, such as woodland, grassland, garden, or agricultural facility construction land.

Following that, the primary responsibility of government at all levels to protect farmers will be reinforced. The Ministry of Natural Resources will oversee farmland protection by collaborating with relevant departments, sending a strong signal of zero tolerance to society, maintaining the red line of farmland, and ensuring that the Chinese people's rice bowl is taken into our own hands.

(All images via VCG.)

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