China is to buy three million hectares (7.4 million acres) of Ukrainian farmland, media said on Sunday, which would make Ukraine China's largest overseas farming centre as it strives to keep pace with rising food demand.

China's official Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps has signed an agreement with Ukrainian agricultural firm KSG Agro, which would see Ukraine provide 100,000 hectares to China. That would eventually rise to three million hectares, the South China Morning Post said.

Chinese experts have said China must expand its overseas farming to ensure sufficient food supplies because of its limited land and low productivity.

China accounts for a fifth of the global population, but only 9 percent of its land. Demand for food is rising as incomes rise.

The 50-year plan was mainly aimed at growing crops and raising pigs, the Hong Kong newspaper said, citing a statement from the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC).

In 2009, China had a total of just more than two million hectares of farming land abroad, the newspaper said, quoting an agriculture expert.

A spokesman at the government-linked XPCC said he was not aware of the statement and did not immediately respond to a request from Reuters for confirmation of the report.

China's overseas expansion in agriculture has raised some concern. In June, Australian politicians called for greater scrutiny over farm purchases by foreign buyers. Chinese investors bought up Australia's biggest cotton farm in 2012.

China, which has aims to be 95 percent self-sufficient in food, also suffers from fears over food safety after a series of scandals ranging from melamine-tainted milk to toxic heavy metals in rice and vegetables.

中国计划购买300万公顷乌克兰农田

媒体周日报道称，中国将购买300万公顷(740万英亩)乌克兰农田。中国正在努力满足国内日益增长的食品需求，这一投资将使乌克兰成为中国在海外最大的农业中心。

新疆生产建设兵团与乌克兰农业公司KSG Agro签署协议，后者将向中国提供10万公顷农田。《南华早报》报道称，最终购买数量将增加至300万公顷。

中国专家表示，中国土地面积有限且生产力低下，必须扩大海外农业规模，以确保足够的粮食供应。

中国以全球9%的耕地养活着占全球五分之一的人口。随着民众收入的增加，人们对食品的需求也在增长。

《南华早报》援引新疆建设兵团的一份声明称，根据这份为期50年的协议，中方将可在乌克兰农田种植作物和养猪。

《南华早报》援引一名农业专家的话报道称，2009年，中国的海外农田共有逾200万公顷。

新疆建设兵团的一名发言人称，他不清楚声明一事，且未立即就路透要求证实相关报道作出回应。

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