Nearly 4,500 hectares of land were allocated for affordable housing in 80 cities this year, the Ministry of Land and Resources said on Monday.

According to a statement released by the ministry on Monday, the land will be used to build more than 6.3 million units of affordable housing in 2013.

The ministry also emphasized the protection of farmers' rights against land grabs and asked the local authorities to strictly follow regulations and issue suitable compensation to farmers who have to move off the land.

The affordable housing program targets 36 million units of new housing by 2015.