Quotable

"Much of the high-quality arable land around large and medium-sized cities has not yet been designated as permanent basic farmland. It is a pressing problem that the expansion of cities is encroaching on prime farmland."

A NOTICE BY THE MINISTRY OF LAND AND RESOURCES AND MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE, which says that prime farmland on the outskirts of cities and towns and near traffic routes should be categorized as "permanent basic farmland" that can be used only for cultivation.