China's top agriculture official on Friday called for "comprehensive understanding" of the land reform package outlined last month after various interpretations since the announcement prompted concerns that the policy may go off track.

Among the key reform decision publicized by the Communist Party of China Central Committee, issues concerning rural reforms, including allowing the trading of some rural construction land, have invited immediate readings from the public, with some claiming that the market will be open to all rural land.

"Some of those interpretations are insufficient ... as there are certain restrictions for the policy," said Minister of Agriculture Han Changfu at a press conference.

He further clarified that construction land qualified for trade would not include that designated for housing, farming and infrastructure purposes as some have suggested, and it will also be subject to certain planning and use restrictions.

"The policy is intended to increase farmers' property earnings, not to increase land supplies for urban construction, nor to draw urban residents or commercial capital to the countryside to buy land," Han noted, stressing the basic role of family farming in the new agriculture system.

In China, urban land is owned by the state and rural land is normally under collective ownership. While gradual reforms since the 1980s saw the trading of urban land evolve into a vigorous property market that became a major growth driver, land deals in the countryside remain largely static.

Farmers mostly have rights to use, but cannot directly sell or mortgage, land. It must first be acquired by a local government before being used for development.

The policy usually results in disputable land takings with meager compensation for farmers, and for migrant workers who want to make a living in the cities, restrictions on land trading mean they have to start afresh on their urban journey.

To put farmers on a more equal footing with the urbanites, the government is taking steps to narrow the divide.

On the precondition that the scale of farmland is guaranteed, farmers will be allowed to transfer and mortgage their land-use rights, or turn the rights into shares in large-scale farming entities, according to the latest reform decision.

While the policy direction is clear, Han emphasized that China would take an active yet prudent approach to promote reforms through pilots.

"We should not blindly rush into action before a clear understanding of the policies," he cautioned.

Experimentations have been under way in several regions for the past few years.

Shortly after China's key reform meeting, Anhui Province, which spearheaded land reform in 1978 that broke up the previous commune-style collective farming, announced on Nov. 12 to experiment with new rules to encourage land flows.

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• Rural land reform
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