Extended for another 30 years! My country comprehensively launches province-wide pilot program for renewing rural contracted land after the second round expires

On March 18, the General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council issued the “Opinions on the Pilot Work of Extending the Second Round of Land Contracting for 30 Years After Expiry” (hereinafter referred to as “Opinions”), which provides specific arrangements for the pilot work of extending the second round of land contracting for 30 years after expiry (hereinafter referred to as “Extension Pilot”). In accordance with the deployment of the Party Central Committee, this year China will carry out comprehensive provincial pilots in 29 provinces (autonomous regions, municipalities).

The Opinions clearly state that the principle of “great stability, small adjustments” must be upheld, with the primary focus on adhering to the extension principle. Based on the results of rural land rights confirmation, registration, and certification, and starting from the expiration of the second round of land contracts, the extension of the contract period by 30 years will be implemented. The extension will be carried out on a household basis to ensure that the vast majority of farmers’ original contracted land remains stable. No re-tendering, disruptive redistribution, illegal adjustments, or reclamation of farmers’ contracted land are allowed. For villages and groups with special circumstances such as damage to contracted land caused by natural disasters, and where the public generally requests land adjustments, small-scale and appropriate adjustments will be made among individual households under the premise of “great stability,” in accordance with laws and regulations.

Wu Yin, Professor at the School of Economics and Director of the Institute of Political Economy at Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, told Shanghai Securities News that China’s rural land contracting and management system began in the 1980s, having gone through two rounds of contracting. The first round of contracts lasted 15 years. After expiration, the state proposed to extend the contract period, resulting in a second round of 30-year contracts. Since the second round of contracts, with the development of rural economy and society, changes in population and land have occurred, leading to various degrees of conflicts related to rural land contracting in some areas.

The Opinions specify that the legitimate rights and interests of farmers who give up their land rights in the second round of land contracting should be protected according to law, and reasonable demands from farmers facing difficulties due to land shortages should be properly addressed. It encourages solving prominent conflicts through methods outside of land, such as collective income distribution, employment services, and placement in public welfare positions, in accordance with relevant regulations.

The Opinions also require ensuring stable land transfer operations. The lawful rights and interests of both parties involved in land transfer should be protected, the role of rural collective economic organizations should be fully utilized, and under the premise of respecting farmers’ wishes, both contracting parties should negotiate thoroughly and clarify land lease renewal matters through contracts after the extension, to stabilize operational expectations.

Shang Xudong, Director of the Legal Construction Office at the Rural Economic Research Center of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, previously stated in an authored article that nearly 30 million rural households’ land contracts will expire from 2024 to 2025, and about 160 million households will reach contract expiry during the 14th Five-Year Plan period. Currently, this is a critical period for the pilot extension work.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, starting in 2026, to implement the central government’s deployment for comprehensive provincial pilots, the Ministry will guide provinces to improve work mechanisms, research and formulate specific extension methods, refine supporting measures, and scientifically and reasonably arrange the pilot schedule to ensure steady progress of the extension pilot, providing a solid support for the modernization of agriculture and rural areas.