Xi's article on farmland protection to be published

BEIJING -- An article on farmland protection and the comprehensive utilization of saline-alkali land by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, will be published on Friday.

The article by Xi, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, will be published in this year's 23rd issue of the Qiushi Journal, a flagship magazine of the CPC Central Committee.

The article stresses the need to deeply understand the importance and urgency of strengthening farmland protection as farmland is the lifeblood of grain production. It also puts forward key measures to strengthen farmland protection.

The red line of 1.8 billion mu (120 million hectares) of farmland should never be breached, the article says, noting that every effort should be made to improve the quality of farmland by developing the nation's nearly 1.55 billion mu of permanent basic cropland into modern fertile farmland.

The article underlines the need to reform and improve the system that balances the occupation and replenishment of cultivated land, motivate farmers and local governments to protect cropland and grow and manage crops well for high yields, and proactively develop all kinds of non-traditional farmland resources.

Noting that the comprehensive utilization of saline-alkali land constitutes an important part of the protection and improvement of farmland, the article says it is essential to take stock of saline-alkali land resources, and work out a general plan and specific implementation measures accordingly on the comprehensive utilization of saline-alkali land.

Saline-alkali farmland of different types must be managed and ameliorated with tailored approaches, and different local conditions must be taken into consideration for the utilization of such land, it says.

Approaches that have been proven effective should be widely applied, and fiscal and financial policies should be formulated to support the comprehensive utilization of saline-alkali land, according to the article.