The State Council, in a circular released on Sept 16, approved a national plan for developing high-standard farmland from 2021 to 2030, requiring higher-quality construction at a faster pace, with support systems in place.

With the primary aim of boosting grain production capacity, farmland construction should add new projects while improving existing land, coupled with post-construction management and maintenance, the circular said.

According to the plan, 1 billion mu (about 66.67 million hectares) of high-standard farmland will be created by 2022, to stabilize food production of above 1 trillion jin (500 billion kilograms).

The plan envisions increasing the area to 71.67 million hectares by 2025 and 80 million hectares by 2030, while transforming 7 million hectares and 18.67 million hectares of existing high-standard farmland, to keep grain production capacity above 550 billion kilograms and 600 billion kilograms, respectively.

The next decade will also see progress in high-efficiency and water-saving irrigation, covering 7.33 million hectares of land.

Provincial-level governments should improve fiscal expenditure and give strong support to high-standard farmland, with better management on construction progress and quality.

Based on the national high-standard farmland plan, province, city and county level plans should catch up, and construction tasks should be assigned to cities and counties, the circular said.

The circular urged enhancing management, maintenance, protection and utilization of the constructed farmland, strengthening monitoring and assessment of their production, and imposing strict controls over their uses.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and other related departments should improve applicable standards and systems, and urge implementation of the plan’s targets and tasks, with major issues reported to the State Council in a timely manner, the circular added.