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Arable land shrinks to 121.8 million hectares

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2007-04-13 15:02

China's arable land shrank to 121.8 million hectares by the end of last October, losing 306,800 hectares in the first ten months of 2006.

A land view from Yichang, Central China's Hubei Province. China's arable land shrank to 121.8 million hectares by the end of last October, losing 306,800 hectares in the first ten months of 2006. [newsphoto]

A national land survey (excluding Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan) by the Ministry of Land and Resources showed land used for construction totaled 258,533 hectares last year, down 24 percent from the same period the previous year.

Natural disasters and deforestation also contributed to the decline, said the ministry adding that there was only 0.0927 hectares of arable land per person.

During the 10th Five-Year Plan period (2000-2005), China lost 6.16 million hectares of arable land, an average 1.23 million hectares annually, according to earlier reports.

China, the most populous country in the world is undergoing fast industrialization and urbanization.

The country has set a target of maintaining 120 million hectares of arable land by 2010 to ensure food security. The government has tightened restrictions on the acquisition of farmland for construction.