During a press conference held by the Hainan Provincial News Office on October 16, key developments were announced aimed at addressing the challenges of land and sea use for rural industrial development. A joint initiative titled “Measures to Strengthen the Guarantee of Land and Sea Elements for Rural Industrial Development and Promote Rural Revitalization” (referred to as the “Measures”) has been established by multiple departments in Hainan Province to facilitate rural revitalization and efficient resource utilization.
The conference highlighted that the land and sea use designated for rural industrial development pertains to the needs of agricultural modernization. This includes areas directly supporting farming, forestry, animal husbandry, fishery production, circulation, processing, storage, agricultural technological innovation, agricultural cultural education, rural leisure tourism, forest wellness tourism, and recreational fisheries. Relevant projects in Hainan’s reclamation area are also applicable under these measures.
Cheng Chunman, Deputy Director of the Hainan Provincial Department of Natural Resources and Planning, stated that to bolster land and forest index guarantees, the Measures stipulate that at least 5% of newly allocated construction land and forest quota must be dedicated annually to meet rural industrial demands. The initiative encourages diverse models such as market entry, joint ventures, and equity stakes for utilizing collective construction land. Additionally, it promotes the exploration of the registration of rights related to agricultural land and associated buildings.
For the aquaculture sector, specific provisions have been made regarding marine resource allocation. Given the unique site selection requirements for “South China Aquatic Breeding” in Hainan, it has been established that relevant provincial units will oversee the unified organization and delineation of areas designated for aquaculture breeding, ensuring compliance with ecological protection standards for any new approvals concerning the placement and breeding activities of broodstock (excluding enclosed aquaculture).
To further reduce costs associated with rural industrial land use, the Measures propose various differentiated supply methods such as “lease first, transfer later,” combinations of leasing and transferring, and flexible lease terms. The annual rent for the “lease first, transfer later” method can be set at no less than 3% of the total land price, collected on an annual basis.
To align with the characteristics of rural industrial projects, the Measures allow for point-based land use processing for rural leisure agriculture and tourism projects located outside urban development boundaries. Projects involving multiple land uses can be supplied in a combined manner.
Liu Yushu, Director of the Land Spatial Use Control Division at Hainan Provincial Department of Natural Resources and Planning, explained that land use for acceptable sporadic facility projects can utilize approaches such as “no expropriation, no transfer” or “only expropriation, no transfer.” Rural industrial projects like rural tourism that occupy collective farmland can adopt the “only transfer, no expropriation” approach. As of October 15, approximately 840 acres of land for rural industrial projects have been allocated using the “only transfer, no expropriation” method, marking a 47% year-over-year increase.
