China's farmland acreage decreased by some 2.67 million hectares in 2003, owing to such factors as the extension of the scale in the total land acreage for construction use and the restructuring of the agricultural sector.

By the end of 2003, total farmland acreage in China shrank to 123.4 million hectares from 125.93 million ha. at the end of the previous year, figures released Tuesday by China's Ministry of Land and Resources (MLR) show.

Last year, more than 229,130 ha. of farmland were rezoned for industrial development, 50,400 ha. lost to natural calamities, nearly 2.24 million ha. returned to forest and pastures, and more than 331,300 ha. were taken out of cultivation and grazing because of agricultural restructuring.

Meanwhile, 310,800 ha. of land were also reclaimed and redeveloped for farming in 2003.

"The rapid growth of fixed asset investment across China is one of the major causes for the reduction of farmland," said an official from the ministry, citing the fact that from January to October last year, fixed asset investment jumped 30.2 percent over the same period of the previous year.

In 2003, land acreage used for industrial development increased to 427,800 ha., an increase of 80,000 ha. over the annual average of such land use in the past six years since 1997. Of the total, 229,133 ha. were farmland, a rise of 17 percent over the previous year.

The construction of factories, mines and industrial parks took a total of 111,733 ha. of farmland, up 37 percent from the previous year, and road building took 37,733 ha. up 25 percent.

The area of farmland occupied by the state-approved major construction projects such as the Three Gorges Project also rose by some 52,670 ha. an increase of 26,670 ha over the previous year.

In a substantial effort to curb rampant illegal use of farmland for other purposes, the Chinese government launched a campaign early last year to forcefully return land to farming.

"However," the official acknowledged, "much of the returned farmland was not included in the report as most of the figures in it were taken before October 31 last year."

The ministry would continue the crackdown on illegal use of farmland so as to ensure national food security, the official said.

(Xinhua News Agency February 25, 2004)