In Nantou County, many hillsides that were originally suitable for farming and grazing, where tea and other crops have been planted for a long time, have been designated as "land conservation areas". Farmers worry that they will no longer be able to grow crops and their livelihood will not be sustainable.

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[Reporters Chen Fengli, Wu Shuwei/Comprehensive Report] In response to the Land Planning Act and the Ministry of the Interior's redesignation of land functional zoning, many hillsides in Nantou County that were originally suitable for farming and grazing, and where tea and other crops have been planted for a long time, have been designated as "land conservation areas". Farmers worry that they will no longer be able to grow crops and lose their livelihoods.

Chen Jizhong, chairman of the Council of Agriculture, said that there are 60,000 to 70,000 hectares of hillside land suitable for farming and animal husbandry that have been legally planted for a long time in the country. If they cannot be planted, it will affect food security. Those who have no doubts about the safety of water and soil conservation can be reclassified as "agricultural development zone". It is estimated that 40,000 hectares are expected to be reclassified as "agricultural development zone".

Homeland law can continue to be used after hitting the road

The Construction Department of the Ministry of the Interior also stated yesterday that the original legal agricultural use can still be used after the land law is enacted, and farmers do not need to worry.

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Chen Jizhong went to Zhushan Township and Lugu Township of Nantou County yesterday to discuss with the locals. Lugu Township is a well-known tea producing area in China. Tea farmers reported that 700 hectares of land in this township has been designated as a "land conservation area" for long-term tea cultivation. In the event that tea can no longer be grown due to land conservation reasons, the livelihood of tea farmers will be greatly affected.

Chen Jizhong pointed out that there are currently more than 300,000 hectares of hillside land suitable for farming and animal husbandry that can legally grow fruits, tea and other crops. Among them, 60,000 to 70,000 hectares have been designated as "land conservation areas". These are initially designated by the county and city governments. Many of the land designated as "National Land Conservation Area" are agricultural lands that have been growing fruits and tea for decades. ".

Chen Jizhong said that there are two prerequisites for the redesignation of the "Agricultural Development Zone".

Chen revealed that after seeking the Ministry of the Interior, 40,000 hectares of land are expected to be reclassified from "land conservation zone" to "agricultural development zone", and the rest of the land will speed up the pace of inventory and survey.

The Construction and Construction Agency stated that it is currently formulating land use control rules, and has allowed land conservation areas to be used for agricultural production facilities. It can be reviewed and adjusted if necessary, and local governments can also adjust the content of land use control according to local conditions.

The Construction and Construction Department explained that many of the hillsides currently used for agriculture are actually "protection areas". If they are all changed to "agricultural development areas" rashly, more water and soil conservation problems will arise, which will be detrimental to the sustainable use of land.

It is understood that in response to the Ministry of the Interior’s redesignation of land functional zoning under the Land Planning Act, the land that is not in the urban planning area is designated as “land conservation area”, “agricultural development area”, “urban and rural development area”, and “marine resource area”. ", and the final designation will be finalized by the end of March next year.