Caution should be exercised in exploring the withdrawal of rural migrants from contracted land
Recently, the General Offices of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council issued the "Opinions on Improving the Measures for Separating the Ownership, Contracting and Management Rights of Rural Land" (referred to as the "Opinions"). Recently, Han Changfu, Minister of Agriculture, briefed on the relevant circumstances of the "Opinions". When addressing the question of whether rural migrants should withdraw from their contracted land, he stated that when farmers seek employment in cities, as long as they do not have sufficient stability, they should still retain their contracted land so that they can have room to advance or retreat.
More than 30% of farming households nationwide have transferred their land
Han Changfu introduced that in recent years a large number of agricultural people have shifted to the secondary and tertiary industries, and the situation of every household contracting land and every household farming has undergone great changes. The phenomenon of the separation between the subject of land contracting rights and the subject of management rights has become increasingly common. As of June this year, among the 230 million farming households nationwide, more than 70 million have transferred their land, a proportion exceeding 30%. In developed coastal provinces in the east, this proportion is even higher, exceeding 50%.
The 230 million farming households are still the land contractors, but they have transferred out a large portion of their contracted land and no longer engage in agricultural production. Who are the new entities? Han Changfu said that these new entities are family farms, farmers' cooperatives, and agricultural enterprises. At present, there are already more than 2.7 million new entities nationwide, and they are the true agricultural production and operation entities.
Farmers may withdraw from contracted land with compensation in accordance with the law
How can the land contracting rights of farming households and the management rights of new operating entities be protected? Han Changfu stated that, on the one hand, the "Opinions" clearly define strict protection of contracting rights and emphasize safeguarding the various rights and interests of contracted farming households in using and transferring contracted land. On the other hand, they accelerate the relaxation of land management rights, granting new operating entities the right to possess, cultivate, and obtain corresponding returns from transferred land.
Regarding the issue of farming households withdrawing from land contracting rights, Han Changfu stated that some farmers have now moved to cities, and if they truly have a genuine willingness, they may withdraw from their contracted land with compensation in accordance with the law. "On the issue of farmers withdrawing from contracted land, only a small number of farmers currently have this willingness."
Han Changfu stated that the withdrawal of rural migrants from contracted land must have a sufficiently long historical process. China has a large rural population, and it is only a minority of farmers who move their entire families to cities; most are young people working in cities while their parents and children live in rural areas. Especially under the current situation of great downward pressure on the economy, urban employment is not so ample. When farmers seek employment in cities, as long as they do not have sufficient stability, their contracted land should still be retained so that they can have room to advance or retreat. Therefore, exploration should also be prudent.