BEIJING - The Ministry of Finance said Wednesday that the central government has allocated 616 million yuan ($99.68 million) this year for soil and water conservation.

The money will be spent on forestry and grass coverage projects in seven provinces and municipalities, the ministry said.

Although more efforts have been made in recent years to plant trees, halt desertification and bring erosion under control, 37 percent of China's land still suffers from soil erosion and 666 square km of farmland is lost every year due to soil and water loss, according to a recent report from the Chinese Academy of Sciences.