A guideline has been issued to promote the high-quality development of China's forage grass industry, guaranteeing the supply of dairy and cattle products, and improving the dietary structure of urban and rural residents. 

The guideline, issued by the State Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs and the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, sets a goal for the country to have 9 million hectares of high-quality forage grass land by 2030, according to a news release. 

To achieve the goal, it calls for the reasonable use of farmland, grassland, idle land, unoccupied land in orchards and forest land to produce forage grass. 

The guideline also calls for planting forage grass in saline-alkali soil in exploring ways to improve the infertile land. 

Efforts should be enhanced to develop relevant infrastructure, build areas that produce high-quality forage grass and increase the output of fresh forage grown in natural grassland, the guideline said. 

It encourages core technological breakthroughs, as well as the development of new species of forage grass that are high-yield, high-protein, stress-resistant and saline-alkali tolerant, so that by 2030, 75 percent of the forage grass seeds used by the country will be produced domestically.