According to reports, Linze County in Zhangye City, Gansu Province, is one of China's largest corn seed production bases. Leveraging the unique natural advantages of the Hexi Corridor, the area has developed a modern corn seed industry chain integrating research, production, processing, and sales.

Recent reports indicate that during the advancement of farmland construction projects, local authorities have allegedly compelled corn seed farmers to pay a 200 yuan per mu annual construction fee, with deductions set to continue for 15 years. Following media coverage, the Gansu Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs immediately dispatched a working group to the site to verify the situation and guide local corrective actions.

Zhangye municipal leadership has initiated a higher-level investigation in Linze County to oversee the rectification of the issues. A special task force has been established to conduct on-site investigations, fully understand the circumstances, and handle the matter according to laws and regulations.

Farmers in Four Villages Charged 200 Yuan Per Mu for 15 Years

In Pingchuan Town's Sanyi Village, Linze County, villagers reported that land leveling was conducted in 2021, with fee collection starting in 2022 for a 15-year period. The first year's fee was 100 yuan per mu, followed by 200 yuan per mu thereafter.

Villagers stated that during the initial land leveling, town and village authorities clearly indicated it was a national investment project requiring no farmer contribution. However, after completion, the situation changed. Multiple Sanyi Village residents confirmed that in recent years, the town and village have been deducting these fees when distributing corn seed payments.

Deduction records obtained show items listed as "high-standard farmland project construction deduction" and later as "high-standard farmland principal and interest repayment." The investigation found similar deductions occurring in Pingchuan Town's San'er Village, Pingchuan Village, and Luwan Village, all at 200 yuan per mu annually for 15 years.

Luwan Village residents reported all eight villager groups were subject to these deductions under the label of land leveling construction fees. One farmer with seven mu of seed corn land reported an annual deduction of 1,400 yuan from seed payments.

Deduction records show amounts ranging from nearly a thousand yuan to over twenty thousand yuan per household, with larger deductions corresponding to larger cultivation areas. Interestingly, in other townships within Linze County where land leveling also occurred, such as in Xinhua Town, farmers reported not being charged any fees.

Local Response: Failed Land Transfer Plan Leads to Farmer Fees for Loan Repayment

Linze County authorities explained that the four villages in Pingchuan Town involved in the deductions were part of a 2021 pilot project for corn seed base construction. The fees collected from farmers are primarily intended to repay bank loans, a situation arising from the failure of an initial collective land transfer plan.

The project, implemented in 2021 and 2022, included land leveling, pond construction, and supporting facilities. Pingchuan Town officials stated the fee collection is mainly for repaying bank loans. The original loan project concept involved first transferring land, then implementing the project—consolidating farmer land into village collective economic cooperatives, which would then transfer it to a state-owned company for operation. The company's operational income was intended to repay the loan principal and interest, while paying land transfer fees to farmers.

However, during implementation, villagers ultimately disagreed with transferring land management rights, causing the initially envisioned operational model to fail. County agricultural officials explained that since these four villages were improvement projects and the land was not transferred to the company, both the company and the farmers must bear portions of the loan repayment.

Loan Details and Cost Sharing

Officials presented some land transfer contracts and villager representative meeting minutes. The contracts were signed between Pingchuan Village Committee and a company controlled by the state-owned investment firm. Notably, these documents did not specify the use of bank loans for the farmland project.

The land transfer contract was signed in November 2021, two months after the related project loan contract was finalized. The loan from the Agricultural Development Bank of China's Linze County branch totaled 700 million yuan, intended for the renovation and upgrading of the national hybrid corn seed production base and industrial park.

The state-owned company负责人 stated the loan covered seven construction components, with land consolidation being just one part, and the financing contract did not specifically target high-standard farmland construction. For the over 20,000 mu of land leveled in the four villages, the 200 yuan per mu annual deduction over 15 years would amount to farmers bearing over 60 million yuan in renovation costs, averaging over 3,000 yuan per mu, roughly matching the local feedback on renovation costs.

Beyond Pingchuan Town, other townships also raised funds from farmers for high-standard farmland projects. According to the Linze County government website, the 2025 plan aims to implement 33,000 mu of high-standard farmland with a total investment of 110.3425 million yuan, including 85.3 million yuan in central and provincial construction subsidies and 25.0425 million yuan in self-raised funds from the project area群众.

Regarding provincial regulations requiring county governments to allocate no less than 300 yuan per mu, county agricultural officials explained the principle of "beneficiaries contribute," noting that annual subsidy funds for high-standard farmland are limited, with the shortfall made up by the群众.

Provincial Investigation Findings: Misuse of Project Name for Imposing Fees

Following the report, the Gansu Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs conducted on-site verification. Officials stated the actual deduction project was not a high-standard farmland project funded by central and provincial fiscal subsidies, but rather a corn seed base enhancement project independently decided by Linze County using bank loans.

The provincial investigation found that during the corn seed base construction process, local authorities涉嫌 misused the name of the high-standard farmland project to强行 impose fees on farmers. The department will urge Zhangye City and Linze County to promptly develop整改 plans and迅速 carry out rectification.

Further issues identified during farmer interviews included conducting land leveling construction with bank loans against farmer意愿, problems with land transfer also违背群众意愿, and inadequate grassroots policy communication leading to the摊派 of unreasonable loan principal and interest under the guise of high-standard farmland construction.

Provincial officials noted that since 2024, high-standard farmland projects implemented through government bonds, particularly water-efficient projects in the Hexi region, have had construction costs基本 covered by central and provincial fiscal investment, eliminating the need for farmer contributions.

The Gansu Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs issued an urgent notice to organize agricultural departments across the province to learn from the Linze County incident, conduct province-wide排查 of similar issues, and strictly prevent the强行摊派 of unreasonable fees on farmers under the name of high-standard farmland construction.

Municipal Joint Investigation Team Established for Accountability

Zhangye City has established a joint investigation team led by主要负责同志, with deputy leaders and members from disciplinary, agricultural, financial, and natural resources departments. The team has迅速下沉 to Pingchuan Town, Xinhua Town, Yanuan Town, and other areas in Linze County for a专项调查.

The municipal government stated that responsible officials will结合 ongoing agricultural sector专项整治,面对面倾听群众诉求 to ensure accurate problem identification.针对存在的问题, they will establish problem lists,整改 lists, and responsibility lists with clear responsible persons and timelines for整改 implementation.

Simultaneously, efforts will focus on establishing rules and long-term mechanisms. Based on verification findings,严肃追责问责 will be pursued.