The Ministry of Land and Resources and the Ministry of Agriculture jointly released a notice to enhance the protection of permanent farmland.

According to the 2016 Government Work Report, by the end of the year, permanent farmland should be completely delimited and protected. Currently, the review work of permanent farmland around 106 key cities has been completed ahead of schedule.

There are three tasks: First is to guide and promote the delimitation work in all medium and small cities and rural areas, and ensure it is finished by the end of the year. Second is to implement related work such as making signs, books of tables and image galleries. Third is to enhance the special protection of permanent farmland.

Farmland delimitation should stick to the principle of quality control, stressed an officer of the farmland protection department under the Ministry of Land and Resources.

According to the notice, the marked boundary for permanent farmland cannot be changed randomly. To get special protection, the construction of permanent farmland needs to be enhanced and more financial support should be given, including fiscal and private investment. On the other side, stimulus and restriction mechanism should also be improved.

The officer said that the national land supervision organization will carry out related supervision in the first half of 2017.