A new report from the China Geological Survey is suggesting over 2.3 million hectares of arable land in China is moderately or severely polluted.

This represents around 2.5-percent of the country's total farmland.

Today marks the National Land Day in China.

Figures released in April show that one-fifth of all farmland in China is suffering from some form of pollution.

Yang Zhongfang sat on the expert panel which developed the report put out by the China Geological Survey.

She says the first step in fixing the problem is identifying exactly where the problems are.

"We need to clearly define the boundaries of the polluted land. But to do this, we have to improve the accuracy of our surveys and identify the pollution sources and boundaries. Only this way can we provide an overview of China's polluted soil."

The study released this Thursday suggests the areas mostly affected include the country's industrial belt along the east coast, as well as inland provinces in central and western China.

The main contaminants are said to be heavy metals such as cadmium, nickel, lead and arsenic.