Jilin’s land reclamation project ongoing

Changchun (CNS) -- The northeastern province of Jilin has reclaimed 1.32 million mu (88,000 hectares) of saline, alkaline and desert land and restored 400,000 mu for agricultural purposes since it initiated China's largest land reclamation project in 2007.

By completion in 2017, the converted area will cover 5.11 million mu, promising to become a positive stimulus for provincial grain output, according to the Provincial Department of Land and Resources.

The western part of this vital agricultural province is overcoming backward conditions in fundamental infrastructure and looks forward to getting its large area of desert or otherwise unusable land into production.

The huge project is working with a budget of 6.2 billion yuan (about US$ 983.1 million). In addition to its ultimate goal of creating 2.55 million mu of farmland, the project will establish plenty of greenery and water conservation projects which also will contribute to an estimated increase in grain yields of 1.65 billion kilograms.