Tighten the fence of farmland protection and build a solid cornerstone for national food security

According to Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, January 5 (dispatch): The video conference on the designation of permanent basic farmland and the management of facility agricultural land was held on January 5. Li Keqiang, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Premier of the State Council, made important instructions. The instructions pointed out that China has a large population and little land, and at all times we must hold the red line of farmland and the red line of basic farmland. We must adhere to placing equal emphasis on quantity and quality, strictly designate permanent basic farmland, strictly implement special protection, tighten the “fence” of farmland protection, and build a solid cornerstone for national food security. Transforming the mode of agricultural development and advancing agricultural modernization require the development of facility agriculture. It is necessary both to clarify its special land use policy and to strictly standardize land use management, strengthen monitoring and supervision, and take a firm stand and hold people accountable under severe penalties for problems of illegal and irregular land use. Local governments at all levels must truly shoulder their main responsibility and, in the process of deepening rural land system reform and advancing new urbanization, unswervingly implement the strictest farmland protection system and the strictest land conservation system, leaving fertile farmland and green countryside to future generations.

Zhang Gaoli, member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council, made instructions, requiring the Ministry of Land and Resources and other departments to conscientiously implement the requirements of Premier Li Keqiang's important instructions, solidly carry out all tasks, resolutely hold the red lines of farmland and basic farmland, strive to build a green countryside, ensure food security, and benefit future generations.

Wang Yang, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premier of the State Council, also made instructions.

Our newspaper report (reporters Ning Qiwen and Gao Wen): On January 5, the Ministry of Land and Resources and the Ministry of Agriculture jointly held a video conference in Beijing to deploy a major action for farmland protection -- implementing the designation of permanent basic farmland and standardizing the management of facility agricultural land. Premier Li Keqiang, Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli and Vice Premier Wang Yang made important instructions on the work deployment, which were conveyed at the meeting.

Han Changfu, Minister of Agriculture, and Jiang Daming, Minister of Land and Resources, separately spoke at the meeting and made specific deployments for the two tasks.

The meeting pointed out that farmland is the foundation of agricultural development and the basis for farmers to settle down, and it must be strictly protected. It is necessary to resolutely implement the decisions and deployments of the central authorities and the important instructions of the leaders of the State Council, carry out the designation of permanent basic farmland with a high degree of self-awareness, and strengthen the management of facility agricultural land with strict measures. Permanent basic farmland is farmland that must be ensured for safeguarding national food security and the effective supply of important agricultural products, and once designated it must be permanently protected. To ensure national food security, the foundation lies in farmland, and we must hold the red line of farmland, ensure that the quantity of basic farmland does not decrease and that farmland quality improves, and achieve “storing grain in the land.” It is necessary to provide special support for and strictly standardize the management of facility agricultural land, support the development of modern agriculture, promote large-scale agricultural operations, prohibit the “non-agriculturalization” of farmland, and build a solid bottom line for rural land system reform.

The meeting emphasized that this joint deployment by the two ministries for the designation of permanent basic farmland is an improvement on the basis of existing work. The main task is to implement the decisions and deployments of the Party Central Committee and the State Council, and, according to the sequence of steps from large cities to small towns in scale and from the surroundings of towns to the vast countryside in space, promptly put the approved basic farmland protection targets and tasks into effect down to households and onto maps and into databases. The focus is to designate as permanent basic farmland as soon as possible the existing high-quality farmland around towns and along transportation lines that is easily occupied, and to designate already-built high-standard farmland as permanent basic farmland as a priority. Once permanent basic farmland is designated, it must not be adjusted or occupied at will. Urban construction must jump beyond designated permanent basic farmland, must not encroach on basic farmland to build new districts, and must not illegally enclose land or occupy basic farmland in the name of various parks or development zones.

On the basis of clarifying support policies for facility agricultural land, the meeting emphasized the need to strictly standardize management, establish bottom-line thinking, adhere to the principle of “agricultural land for agricultural use,” and use various means comprehensively to strengthen monitoring and supervision of facility agricultural land. For those who illegally and irregularly use land under the pretext of developing agricultural facilities, they must be seriously investigated and handled and held accountable under severe penalties, ensuring that the “three must-nots and three prohibitions” are truly implemented: the land use purpose must not be changed, and it is prohibited to use it without authorization for other non-agricultural construction; land use must not exceed standards, and it is prohibited to expand the scale of land use without authorization; the nature of agricultural facilities must not be changed, and it is prohibited to use agricultural facilities without authorization for other business operations.

The meeting required that, to hold the red lines of farmland and basic farmland and to support and standardize the development of facility agriculture, the main responsibility of governments at all levels must be implemented. The Ministry of Land and Resources and the Ministry of Agriculture must strengthen their sense of responsibility, strengthen guidance and supervision and inspection of local work, effectively raise the understanding by local Party committees, governments and relevant departments at all levels of the importance and urgency of farmland protection work, resolutely implement the central decisions and deployments, firmly designate and secure permanent basic farmland, carry out the development of facility agriculture well and do practical things solidly, make due contributions to safeguarding national food security and promoting the development of modern agriculture, and leave fertile farmland and green countryside to future generations.

Leading comrades in charge of all provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities directly under the Central Government and of local people's governments below the provincial level, leading comrades in charge of local departments of land and resources and agriculture at all levels, leading comrades in charge of the Land and Resources Bureau and Agriculture Bureau of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, and relevant comrades from the local national land inspection bureaus dispatched to various places attended the meeting.

Leave fertile farmland permanently to future generations

Commentator of our newspaper

At the beginning of the new year, two departments of the State Council jointly held a video conference on the designation of permanent basic farmland and the management of facility agricultural land to implement the guiding spirit of General Secretary Xi Jinping, Premier Li Keqiang and other central leading comrades and to jointly advance farmland protection and the designation of permanent basic farmland. This is an important measure to love agriculture, protect agriculture and strengthen agriculture, and fully reflects the great importance the Party Central Committee and the State Council attach to farmland protection work and the development of facility agriculture.

The Party Central Committee and the State Council have always attached great importance to farmland protection work. General Secretary Xi Jinping emphasized: “The red line of farmland must be strictly defended,” “permanent basic farmland must be designated,” and “farmland protection must be done like protecting cultural relics, or even like protecting giant pandas.” Premier Li Keqiang pointed out that permanent basic farmland must be strictly designated, special protection must be strictly implemented, and the “fence” of farmland protection must be tightened. This fully reflects the central authorities' profound grasp of China's national conditions, agricultural conditions and grain conditions, and fully demonstrates the central authorities' firm determination to protect farmland and safeguard national food security. We must deeply understand, accurately grasp and resolutely implement this.

Farmland is the foundation of agricultural development and the basis for farmers to settle down. An “ultra-large” demand for grain and an “ultra-small” per capita share of farmland are China's basic national conditions. At present, China is in a stage of rapid industrialization and urbanization, the pressure to protect farmland is growing, and the task of safeguarding national food security is becoming more and more arduous. The central authorities, sizing up the situation, have proposed the strategic bottom line for food security of “ensuring basic self-sufficiency in grains and absolute security of staple food.” To hold this strategic bottom line, the premise is to ensure the stability of both the quantity and quality of farmland, and we must hold the red line of 1.8 billion mu of farmland and the bottom line of farmland quality. If the skin is gone, what will the hair attach to? If farmland is gone, or if farmland quality declines greatly, the supply of our agricultural products, especially grain production, will become water without a source and a tree without roots. Therefore, designating permanent basic farmland, especially designating existing farmland around towns and along transportation lines as permanent basic farmland, is precisely to nail down the “hard rules” of farmland protection. Urban planning and construction must definitely “see the mountains, see the water, and remember the nostalgia,” leaving fertile farmland to future generations so that the Chinese nation can gain space for sustainable development. This is a great good.

Protecting farmland well and using farmland well is tied to the lifeblood of agricultural development and is the duty of governments at all levels and functional departments. It cannot be shirked and cannot be slackened. All localities must strengthen overall work coordination, and functional departments must strengthen their sense of responsibility, firmly establish “one chessboard” thinking, take the initiative to step into place, actively act, think in one direction, exert effort in one direction, form a joint work force, carry out this good deed well and do practical things solidly, accelerate the designation of permanent basic farmland, strengthen the management of facility agriculture, and make greater contributions to safeguarding national food security and promoting the development of modern agriculture.