Protecting arable land

That the number of cases involving the illegal use of land has been on the increase in the past several years sends the message that a more severe crackdown is urgently needed to deter local leaders from seeking revenue from land development.

Since 2008, the Ministry of Land and Resources has had talks with leaders of regions where arable land has been illegally occupied and administrative disciplinary penalties have been meted out to some leaders.

But despite this, the current administrative disciplinary punishments, such as warnings or demerits, have proved almost futile in checking the rampant land use violations nationwide.