The State Council has approved the national plan for land consolidation (2016-2020), jointly released and implemented by the Ministry of Land and Resource and National Development and Reform Commission.

The plan is aimed at strictly protecting arable land to improve grain production, optimizing land utilization, and consolidating scattered, idle, and inefficient land.

It also urges more policy and fund support to land consolidation in poverty-stricken areas, and enhance efforts to restore degraded and contaminated land.

According to the plan, at least 400 million mu (2.7 million square meters) high-level farm land should be built with 20 million mu reclaimed from land consolidation.

Meanwhile, land utilization per unit of GDP should be reduced by 20 percent, with land reclamation rate reaching more than 45 percent.

Local governments should improve measures and policies to ensure a smooth implementation of the plan under the support and watch of related departments, said the circular.