China's State Council has ordered to suspend the country's "return-farmland-to-forest" program, in order to keep the country's total farmland area at 1.8 billion mu, or 120 million hectares, during the current 11th Five-Year Plan.

China previously planned to turn 20 million mu, or 1.33 million hectares of farmland back to forest during the 11th Five-Year Plan period. So far, one-fifth of the planned target was completed.

The central government will also allocate special funds to consolidate gains achieved in the program.
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(CRI September 11, 2007)