China expands rural land contract extension pilot program

China is expanding a pilot program that extends rural land contracts for an additional 30 years to cover seven entire provinces in a move aimed at stabilizing land rights for more than 25 million farming households, officials said on Thursday.

"Handling the relationship between farmers and land is a key task of deepening rural reform," said Chen Bangxun, head of the Department of Development and Planning at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, at a news conference.

According to Chen, the extension of the second round of contracts is critical to the long-term interests of millions of farmers, with the pilot program now expanded to cover 221 counties and 349 townships in seven provinces.

Chen said that, to ensure continuity, the majority of existing contracts will remain unchanged, while authorities will utilize data from land rights registration and certification to facilitate smooth extensions.

To address local conflicts or the needs of vulnerable groups, the ministry encourages using reserve land or newly added arable land, while alternative solutions such as distributing collective revenue, offering employment services or creating public welfare jobs are also available.

Chen added that the ministry is set to assist provinces in establishing the mechanisms for the comprehensive roll out of the pilots: "We will formulate specific extension methods and detailed supporting measures to ensure the process provides a solid foundation for agricultural modernization," he said.

Also on Thursday, Zhang Xingwang, vice-minister for agriculture and rural affairs, said nearly 4 million family farms and more than 2 million farmers' cooperatives had been developed in China.

"More than 1.1 million agricultural business entities now provide socialized services, benefiting nearly 93 million smallholder households," he added.

Despite bouts of drought, flooding and prolonged rainfall in parts of the country, China's grain output reached around 714.9 million metric tons in 2025, an increase of 8.4 million tons on the previous year, Zhang said.

Output has now reached more than 700 million tons for two years running, with soybean output climbing to 20.91 million tons, the fourth year in-a-row the figure has been above 20 million tons.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the per capita disposable income of rural residents in China reached 24,456 yuan ($3,512) in 2025, marking a real increase of 6 percent from the previous year.