Arable land to find protection in special zones

Satellite monitoring will ensure rules are followed

Beijing - The national land watchdog is requiring local authorities to establish permanent arable land protection zones with a total area of 104 million hectares to protect China's shrinking arable land and guarantee food security, authorities said.

Wang Lei, director of the basic farmland protection office with the Ministry of Land and Resources (MLR), told China Daily on Wednesday strict supervision will be taken after the establishment of the protection zones.