5 million mu of farmland returned to forest and grassland, deployed by five departments this year
XINHUA NEWS AGENCY, BEIJING, SEPTEMBER 27 (REPORTERS ZHAO CHAO AND AN BEI) On the 27th, reporters learned from the National Development and Reform Commission that the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Finance, the State Forestry Administration, the Ministry of Agriculture, and the Ministry of Land and Resources have issued the 2014 annual task for returning farmland to forest and grassland, arranging a 2014 task of 5 million mu of returning farmland to forest and grassland for Shanxi, Hubei, Hunan, Guangxi, Chongqing, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Shaanxi, Gansu, and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps.
The five departments proposed that the arrangement of the 2014 task for returning farmland to forest and grassland must be based on the 2013 annual land change survey results and the township (town) general land use plan, and strictly limited to non-basic farmland sloping cultivated land above 25 degrees; the wishes of farmers must be fully respected to ensure that farmers' livelihoods are not affected; priority should be given to places that meet the conditions for returning farmland, have high public enthusiasm, and have fully prepared preliminary work; key arrangements should be made for the sources of rivers, around lakes and reservoirs, and tilted toward areas prone to geological disasters such as earthquake-stricken areas.
The five departments required all localities to carefully organize implementation, formulate implementation plans in accordance with farmers' wishes, do a good job in operational design, and select suitable tree (grass) species in light of conditions such as the development of distinctive industries; organize the supply of seedlings, strictly implement according to the implementation plan and technical standards, and ensure project quality; formulate complete acceptance management measures, conduct timely inspection and acceptance, and pay cash subsidies.