14 cities take the lead in designating permanent basic farmland on urban fringes, urban construction must go around it
The Ministry of Land and Resources and the Ministry of Agriculture recently jointly issued the "Notice on Further Improving the Designation of Permanent Basic Farmland" (hereinafter referred to as the "Notice"), requiring that, on the basis of existing work on designating permanent basic farmland, high-quality farmland around towns and along transportation lines that is currently vulnerable to being occupied be designated as permanent basic farmland on a priority basis, so as to maximize the protection of comprehensive grain production capacity and ensure that the actual area of farmland remains basically stable and national food security is safeguarded.
According to the arrangements, the designation of permanent basic farmland around 14 cities - Beijing, Shenyang, Shanghai, Nanjing, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Xiamen, Zhengzhou, Wuhan, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Guiyang and Xi'an - will be carried out first, and the nationwide designation of permanent basic farmland and the improvement of results will be fully completed by the end of 2016.
At present, some cities' planned construction land overlaps considerably with high-quality farmland, and there is still a great deal of high-quality farmland around large and medium-sized cities that has not been designated as permanent basic farmland, while the occupation of high-quality farmland by urban development remains fairly prominent; at the same time, the two ministries found during verification that in some places there is still a tendency to designate distant plots rather than nearby ones and poor plots rather than good ones. For this reason, the "Notice" emphasizes that the importance and urgency of doing a good job of designating permanent basic farmland in the new era must be fully recognized. Doing this work well is a basic requirement for implementing the fundamental national policy of "cherishing and making rational use of land and effectively protecting farmland" and the national food security strategy, an important measure for implementing the national new urbanization strategy and ecological civilization strategy, and an important task of diligently protecting farmland resources.
The "Notice" sets out four overall requirements for the designation work: First, clear requirements and protection first. This designation work must implement the latest requirements of the central government, follow the principle of giving priority to farmland protection and placing equal emphasis on quantity and quality, and strictly designate the red line for permanent basic farmland protection in accordance with the requirements of a basically stable layout, no reduction in quantity and improvement in quality. Second, carry it out in accordance with laws and regulations and in an orderly manner. The designation work must be carried out in coordination with work such as the designation of urban development boundaries and ecological protection red lines, and must be linked with work on integrating multiple plans, including economic and social development plans, overall land use plans and urban and rural plans; during the designation process, where changes in the quantity or layout of basic farmland require corresponding adjustment of the overall land use plan, adjustments and improvements shall be made in accordance with laws and regulations and in a standardized and orderly manner. Third, plan as a whole and advance steadily. Each province (autonomous region or municipality) shall begin with megacities with a population of more than 5 million, provincial capital cities and cities under separate state planning, and carry out the designation work steadily and in an orderly manner in the order of towns from large to small, space from far to near, and farmland quality grade and fertility grade from high to low. Fourth, link ministries and provinces and coordinate departments. The main responsibility for the designation work shall rest with local people's governments at or above the county level, and the competent departments of land and resources, together with the competent departments of agriculture at the same level, shall be responsible for organizing and implementing it; the two ministries shall be responsible for macro guidance, supervision and inspection.
The "Notice" also sets out specific requirements in three areas: strengthening organizational safeguards, strengthening guidance and supervision, and strengthening publicity and guidance. It requires all localities to strengthen government organization and leadership, plan carefully and make meticulous arrangements, ensure that personnel are in place and funding is available, and ensure that all tasks are completed on time, with guaranteed quality and quantity; to establish a system of regular reporting and notification and to conduct supervision and inspection at appropriate times; and, where permanent basic farmland is not designated in accordance with regulations, to hold the relevant units and individuals accountable in accordance with laws and regulations.