Chinese land reforms to 'double wealth of farmers'

China's leaders have announced they are determined to double the wealth of the country's farmers in the next decade. By Malcolm Moore in Shanghai The move is expected to spur investment in the countryside and create large-scale and efficient farming Photo: EPA However, a four-day meeting of the Communist Party's central committee failed to announce a widely-anticipated move to give farmers the right to sell or rent their land. Under the current system, each of China's 900 million or so officially-registered rural residents are allocated their own patch of land by their village committee. That land cannot be transferred even if they move away, resulting in a patchwork of tiny plots across the country. Last week, President Hu Jintao hinted that private ownership may be introduced, a move that could lead to the re-emergence of... [read full story]