New pricing for expropriated land to protect farmers

New pricing modifications for expropriated land in Hebei province will be released in 2014, raising the average compensation standards to guarantee farmers receive more money.

All of the villages in the province have been divided into around 700 areas sharing the same compensation standard, and the average compensation for every mu (0.07 hectare) reached 44,000 yuan ($7,250) in 2013.

"The new modification will increase the compensation amount to protect farmers' rights," Zhang Shaolian, director of Department of Land and Resources of Hebei province, said on Thursday.

If more villages share the same standard, there will be fewer disputes involving the land acquisitions, Zhang said.

The pricing structure for expropriated land in Hebei was adopted on Jan 1, 2009, and similar policies were adopted in other provinces. Based on this pricing standard, the farmers whose land is taken over for public facilities or other purposes should receive compensation in accordance with their land utilization and other factors, such as location.

The pricing system should be renewed every two to three years as the central government required.

Hebei's last pricing standard was released on Jan 1, 2012.

The new modification will be made based on changes in land utilization such as water facilities, location and economic growth.

The highest compensation in 2013 was in downtown Shijiazhuang, the provincial capital city, reaching 370,000 yuan per mu, and the lowest was in a barren land in Shangyi county of Zhangjiakou — about 23,000 yuan per mu.