The agricultural associations push for lifting the restrictions on the land sale and purchase from 2024, Deputy Chairman of the All-Ukrainian Agricultural Council Mikhail Sokolov said during Agri Invest Forum 2017, Finance.UA reports.

“The land market should not be launched immediately; there should be the opportunity to prepare for farmers as well as the state. The transitional period should be five years, the market should be launched from 2024”, he said.

According to the expert, the All-Ukrainian Agricultural Council, the Milk Producers’ Association, the Pig Farmers’ Association, the Ukrainian Agricultural Confederation, the ‘Ukrainian Club of Agricultural Business’ Association, the Association of Farmers and Private Landowners of Ukraine and other 90% of agricultural producers in Ukraine share such opinion.

“Before the market launch, the data should be corrected and fully entered into the State Land Cadaster and the State Register of Real Estate Titles and Transactions, the concessionary lending program for 100-hectare farm households was launched, the shares were issued to the former and current employees of state agricultural enterprises, which did not participate in sharing lands”, - M. Sokolov specified.  

He expressed the conviction that after the market launch, the right of sale and purchase should be provided not only to individuals, but also to legal entities.

The additional restrictions and guarantees of the land turnover will be the concentration of not more than 30% of the cultivated land and properties within one district, not more than 2% - within the region and not more than 0.5% - within the whole country. The launch of the lending program for farmers is one of the conditions for the launch.

The sale of the land plot should not be the basis for termination of the land lease agreement and its amendment, the current lessees, the owners of neighboring plots, should have the preemptive right to purchase.