Recently, several farmers in Kanglu County, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, have reported that local government officials are preventing them from farming in their fields and demanding money in exchange for permission to cultivate. The officials rudely stated, “If the higher-ups ask me to collect money, I will collect it.”
On April 22, “China Three Agriculture News” reported that many farmers in Kanglu County revealed that officials at the town and village levels were blocking them from spring plowing and demanding payment before allowing them to sow seeds.
A video in the report showed a deputy director of Shuangsheng Village Committee in Jianhua Town, Kanglu County, stopping farmers and saying, “You can’t farm without paying 110 yuan. If the higher-ups ask me to collect money, I will.”
The report claimed that officials in Jianhua Town forcibly confiscated vehicles when people tried to till the land. Ji Yunhao, deputy secretary of the town’s party committee and director of political and legal affairs, remarked, “Don’t look for me, I don’t understand the law!”
On April 22, the Kanglu County official media reported that they had issued a notice regarding the incident of farmers having to pay before planting crops, stating that an investigation would be carried out.
Following the public attention on the matter, on April 23, Kanglu County issued another report stating that the new cultivation land in Shuangsheng Village was subject to compensation and it was one of the disposal methods for the “efficient utilization of new cultivation land pilot work” in Kanglu County. The improper work methods of grassroots officials led to the dismissal of the deputy secretary of the town’s party committee, internal party warnings, and severe party warnings for the secretary of the village party branch and deputy director of the village committee.
However, villagers mentioned in the previous report that they had already signed land lease contracts beforehand.
Netizens commented, “Isn’t this just a replica of renting a bare house, renovating it, and then the landlord kicking you out or raising the rent?” “Lack of contractual spirit is very dangerous.” “Those who should treat farmers well but instead cause damage should be arrested.” “The logic is like renting a house, spending money on luxury decorations, success leads to a hike in rent.”
Kanglu County is currently a demonstration county for high-yield and efficient corn production, as well as the largest red chili pepper production and distribution center in northern China, known as the “Capital of Chinese Dried Red Chili Peppers.”