Beijing has increased efforts to save the dwindling supply of arable land by rejecting almost 32 per cent of land-use applications this year.
The Ministry of Land and Resources, which just completed appraising land-use applications from 47 cities this year, had reduced by 31.81 per cent the total area applied for, Xinhua reported.
The ministry did not elaborate on the rejections except to say that 24.56 per cent of land area for construction had been reduced.
It also said 27 per cent more in farming or arable land were saved compared with the level last year and mainly unoccupied land was granted construction usage.
Of the land with usage approved, almost 40 per cent was for residential properties with a focus on budget or low-income housing.
An unidentified official from the ministry said rejecting some land applications would serve to control land supply at the national level and ensuring a sufficient amount of arable land.
As of October last year, the mainland had 1.23 million square kilometres of land suitable for crops, just 20,000 sq km more than the minimum the government deemed necessary to feed the huge population.