Ukraine goes under the hammer

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The Cabinet of Ministers submitted to the Verkhovna Rada bill No. 2143 On the Land Market to regulate the sale of agricultural land.
Drafting and approval of this document is one of the preconditions for lifting the ban on the sale of agricultural land plots, Chair of the VR Committee on Agricultural Policy and Land Issues Mykola Prysyazhnyuk said in an interview with KW. As a reminder, on January 5, the VR extended the moratorium on the sale of agricultural land pending full legal regulation of the issues related the land market, which is projected for the end of 2009. “The government must draft another two bills on the land cadastre and alienation of land for public needs that would supplement this bill,” said Prysyazhnyuk.
Volodymyr Voyevodin, Director of the State Land Resources Agency and one of the authors of the bill, says the aim of this legislation is to regulate on the organization and functioning of the land market in Ukraine. The document envisages that the central governing body is exclusively responsible for land resources during tenders for the sale of agricultural land and leasing rights. Under the bill, only citizens that meet a number of criteria have the right to purchase such land plots.
Specifically, this concens those applicants that by January 1, 2008 were granted land for long-term use (or leasing) for farming purposes, have been farming for the past five years or are experienced young farmers. The term of purchasing land plots should not exceed 20 years. The bill also envisages a 10-year ban on altering the functional purpose of a land plot from the day of purchase or receipt of leasing rights...

Full article: http://www.kyivweekly.com/?art=1206435583
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