A wind power plant in Ulaanqab, the Inner Mongolia autonomous region. [Photo by Hao Jihong/for China Daily]

North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region will green over 733,300 hectares of land with grass this year to strengthen its afforestation efforts, said the region's forestry and grassland administration.

Last year, the region planted 1.11 million hectares of grass, completing 124.1 percent of the annual target, said Hao Ying, head of the region's forestry and grassland administration.

The region also plans to improve over 266,700 hectares of degraded grassland, Hao said.

Inner Mongolia spans the vast northern territory of China and is an important ecological barrier in the country. During the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-2020), the region planted over 1.93 million hectares of land annually.