Rural Land Transfer Must Avoid Pulling Up Seedlings to Help Them Grow; Steady Progress Is Key

Toward land reform, which is of great importance and yet must never be rushed, the state's attitude is "prudent."

Premier Li Keqiang pointed out in the government work report that to advance agricultural modernization, reform is key. Do a good job in land rights confirmation, registration and certification, and prudently carry out pilot reforms in rural land expropriation, market entry of collective operational construction land, the homestead system, and the collective property rights system.

How can "prudence" be achieved?

Chen Xiwen, member of the Standing Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and deputy head and director of the Office of the Central Leading Group for Rural Work, said that certificates for land contractual management rights have so far been issued to farmers for about 340 million mu of land, and land transfer is also accelerating. "At present, arbitrary division must be avoided." He said that if land reform is forcibly pushed through administrative means, it is to some extent depriving farmers of their rights.

Land rights that cannot be cashed in are called "the sleeping capital of the countryside." Some people believe that farmers can fully use this right to exchange for more employment opportunities, room for development and higher income.

Guo Jinyun, member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and deputy chair of the Hunan Provincial Committee of the Chinese Peasants and Workers Democratic Party, pointed out that at present land transfer, especially in remote areas, faces the problem that land rights confirmation has not been completed and land transfer operations are not standardized. "Land is the lifeblood of farmers. If land rights confirmation has not been completed, farmers have not received the 'red booklet,' and their hearts remain suspended in worry that once the land is transferred out, their interests will be harmed. In many places, farmers would rather let the land lie fallow than transfer it. When some land has not had its rights confirmed, over time it easily leads to unclear land boundaries and ownership, unclear interests, and more contradictions in land transfer, bringing difficulties to the transfer."

He suggested stepping up work on rural land rights confirmation, registration and certification, and formulating policies to encourage and support land transfer.

"The sleeping capital" is slowly awakening. Some people worry that capital going to the countryside will be a double-edged sword and may cause a new round of "horse-racing land enclosures."

Ma Rongrong, deputy to the National People's Congress and president of the Ningbo Academy of Agricultural Sciences, proposed setting technical thresholds for rural land transfer, so that rural land contractual rights and operational rights fall into the hands of capable people with certain skills and experience, making large-scale operation of agricultural land more efficient and providing the people with an adequate supply of high-quality agricultural products.

"In some places, contracted land areas range from as little as 500 mu to as much as 1000 mu. Operational rights are often decided by how much money is paid rather than by the level of management and operation, resulting in extensive operation of agricultural land." Ma Rongrong said that the transfer cycle of rural land contractual management rights is too short, and short-term behavior in contracted farmers' land operation and predatory land operation are widespread. "If such phenomena are not eliminated, realizing agricultural modernization and making large-scale operation of agricultural land more efficient can only be empty talk."

He suggested that those contracting land operational rights must have certain qualifications, that the operational scale of contractors should be appropriately controlled, and that moderate-scale operation standards for various crops should be re-examined and approved. The transfer cycle of land operational rights should be extended, from the current once-a-year transfer to once every 5 to 10 years, to increase the enthusiasm of contracted farming households with land operational rights to protect and improve farmland facilities and increase material inputs into the land.

Chen Xiwen said that after the Third Plenary Session, farmers may transfer land voluntarily and with compensation in accordance with the law. "Farmers who transfer land certainly have their own considerations. If they feel that working in business or elsewhere brings better income and are willing to transfer the land to others, then there is no problem. If they have no better income and the government forces them to transfer it, that to some extent deprives them of their rights."

"If you pull up seedlings to help them grow, the effect will instead be poor." Chen Xiwen stressed that the pace of land transfer should advance steadily along with industrialization and urbanization, and under legal protection and corresponding policies, farmers should be allowed to make their own choices.