China has significantly expanded its pilot program extending rural land contracts by an additional 30 years, now encompassing seven entire provinces in a major policy initiative designed to stabilize land rights for over 25 million farming households. The announcement was made by agricultural officials during a Thursday press conference.
Chen Bangxun, Director of the Development and Planning Department at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, emphasized that managing the relationship between farmers and their land represents a cornerstone of deepening rural reform. “The extension of the second round of contracts is critical to the long-term interests of millions of farmers,” Chen stated, revealing that the program now includes 221 counties and 349 townships across the seven provinces.
To ensure operational continuity, authorities will maintain the majority of existing contracts without modification, utilizing data from land rights registration and certification systems to facilitate seamless extensions. For addressing local conflicts or supporting vulnerable populations, the ministry encourages utilizing reserve land or newly added arable land. Alternative solutions include distributing collective revenue, providing employment services, or creating public welfare positions.
The ministry is now assisting provincial governments in establishing comprehensive implementation mechanisms. “We will formulate specific extension methods and detailed supporting measures to ensure the process provides a solid foundation for agricultural modernization,” Chen added.
Concurrent with this announcement, Vice-Minister Zhang Xingwang reported substantial progress in China’s agricultural sector, with nearly 4 million family farms and over 2 million farmers’ cooperatives now established nationwide. More than 1.1 million agricultural business entities currently provide socialized services, benefiting approximately 93 million smallholder households.
Despite challenging weather conditions including drought, flooding, and prolonged rainfall in various regions, China’s grain output reached approximately 714.9 million metric tons in 2025, representing an increase of 8.4 million tons from the previous year. This marks the second consecutive year that output has exceeded 700 million tons, with soybean production climbing to 20.91 million tons—the fourth straight year above 20 million tons.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics, rural residents’ per capita disposable income reached 24,456 yuan ($3,512) in 2025, reflecting a real increase of 6 percent year-on-year.