BEIJING, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- Chinese lawmakers on Friday voted to adopt a new law on farmland protection and quality improvement, which will take effect on Jan. 1, 2027.
The law was passed at the latest session of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, which concluded on Friday.
The law stipulates that farmland should be primarily used for the production of grain, cotton, oil crops, sugar crops, vegetables and other agricultural products, as well as forage and feed crops. China continues to enforce the strictest farmland protection system and the strictest economical and intensive land use system, and firmly uphold its red line for farmland protection.
The law also establishes an accountability system for farmland protection and food security. The effect of farmland protection and quality improvement will be reviewed when officials leave their posts.
It also stipulates that the country shall employ modern information technologies and means such as satellite remote sensing, big data, cloud computing and artificial intelligence to enhance the work of farmland protection and quality improvement.
Farmland protection has remained high on China's agenda due to its importance to food security, as the country steps up efforts to keep its total farmland area above the red line of 1.8 billion mu (about 120 million hectares).
The country's top legislature on Friday also adopted a revised Agriculture Law, with the amendment seeking to improve measures supporting agricultural and rural economic development. ■
