Farmland being lost to road, rail projects

BEIJING - China is facing a severe shortage of construction land, and projects including road and rail expansion plan to illegally grab 700,000 hectares of protected farmland in 2011 to meet their needs.

According to a survey by the Ministry of Land and Resources, China's provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities are planning to use 1.1 million hectares of land for construction in 2011. Around 40 percent is needed for roads and railways, said Vice-Minister Yun Xiaosu during a national video conference on Thursday.

The State Council, though, has approved the use of only 400,000 hectares because it wants to protect the country's precious arable land resources.