Latest survey data: China’s total cultivated land amounts to 1.918 billion mu, of which paddy fields account for 471 million mu, or 24.55%.

Release Date:

2021-08-31

On August 26, the Office of the State Council’s Leading Group for the Third National Land Survey, the Ministry of Natural Resources, and the National Bureau of Statistics released the “Main Data Bulletin of the Third National Land Survey.” The bulletin indicates that China’s cultivated land area stands at 1.918 billion mu.

The Bulletin indicates that China’s total arable land amounts to 1.918 billion mu, of which paddy fields cover 471 million mu, or 24.55%; irrigated land accounts for 481 million mu, or 25.12%; and dryland comprises 965 million mu, or 50.33%. Sixty-four percent of the country’s arable land is located north of the Qinling–Huaihe Line. The five provinces of Heilongjiang, Inner Mongolia, Henan, Jilin, and Xinjiang together hold a substantial share of arable land, accounting for 40% of the national total. Arable land in regions with three cropping seasons per year totals 282 million mu, or 14.73% of the national total; in areas with two cropping seasons annually, it spans 717 million mu, or 37.40%; and in regions with a single cropping season, it covers 918 million mu, or 47.87%. Arable land situated in areas receiving annual precipitation of 800 mm or more (inclusive) amounts to 670 million mu, representing 34.96% of the national total; in zones with 400–800 mm of annual rainfall (inclusive), it totals 944 million mu, or 49.24%; in regions with 200–400 mm of annual precipitation (inclusive), it stands at 192 million mu, or 10.01%; and in areas with less than 200 mm of annual rainfall, it covers 111 million mu, or 5.79%. Arable land on slopes of 2 degrees or less (inclusive) encompasses 1.188 billion mu, accounting for 61.93% of the national total; on slopes between 2 and 6 degrees (inclusive), it covers 294 million mu, or 15.32%; on slopes from 6 to 15 degrees (inclusive), it amounts to 257 million mu, or 13.40%; on slopes between 15 and 25 degrees (inclusive), it totals 116 million mu, or 6.04%; and on slopes exceeding 25 degrees, it spans 63 million mu, or 3.31%.

The Bulletin also indicates that China’s cultivated land totals 303 million mu, of which orchards account for 195 million mu, or 64.60%, and tea plantations for 25 million mu, or 8.35%. Grassland covers 3.968 billion mu, including 3.198 billion mu of natural pasture, representing 80.59%, and 90 million mu of artificial pasture, accounting for 0.22%. Forestland spans 4.262 billion mu, while wetlands cover 352 million mu. Urban, rural, and industrial/mining land amounts to 530 million mu, with village land comprising 329 million mu, or 62.13%. Transportation land totals 143 million mu, of which rural roads account for 71 million mu, or 49.88%. Water bodies and water‑conservation facilities occupy 544 million mu, including 51 million mu of reservoir surfaces, or 9.28%, 96 million mu of pond and pool surfaces, or 17.69%, and 53 million mu of ditches and canals, or 9.69%.

Source: AgroPages (World Agrochemical Network)

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