Preliminary study on farmland protection legislation is under way following suggestions of the Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC).

Noting that farmland is the lifeblood of food production and legislation in this regard is fundamental to implement the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee's decision on strengthening farmland protection, the committee urged relevant departments of the State Council to step up legislative work on farmland protection, promote lawful utilization and protection of farmland resources in an orderly manner, and provide a strong legal guarantee for national food security.

During the 13th NPC's fourth session, several deputies submitted motions about legislation on protection of cultivated land resources.

It was stated in the motions that farmland resources in the country have been under insufficient protection and a compensation mechanism for farmland occupation is not in place, which in turn constrains high-quality use of farmland resources.

The deputies said in the motions that a law to protect farmland resources should be formulated, under which a development fund can be set up, protection and supervision system built, and legal responsibilities defined.

Currently, the country is facing problems of small acreage on a per capita basis, low quality, and insufficient reserve of farmland, according to the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs.

Existing laws and regulations lack systematic, holistic and all-round provisions on farmland protection. The Ministry of Justice advises that the Ministry of Natural Resources, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and other relevant departments conduct preliminary study on the legislation based on the motions and push forward the related work.