Exclusive The association “Ukrainian Agricultural Business Club” advocates continuing land reform without delaying the second stage, which provides for the admission of business entities to the land market and increasing the limits to 10 thousand hectares.
UCAB General Director Oleg Khomenko spoke about this in an interview with Ukrinform.
“UCAB stands only for the free market. My personal position: no matter what, this reform must be completed, it is necessary to give people the opportunity to dispose of their property. If the price is low, the owners of the plots will not sell them. In addition to sales, there is also rent, and people understand that they have different opportunities to dispose of their property,” he said.
Khomenko noted that at the same time, long-term investments are needed for the development of horticulture, irrigation, hop growing, and viticulture in Ukraine.
“All the talk that foreigners will buy the land is nothing more than scarecrows that hinder the development of the market. The reform warns and prevents the scenario of monopolization. If we don’t start the second stage now, then it won’t start at all. We have no other options.” , in addition to bringing land reform to completion,” the expert emphasized.
As Ukrinform reported, the land market in Ukraine officially started on July 1, 2021. Until 2024, only individual citizens of Ukraine can buy agricultural land with a limit of 100 hectares. The Land Market Law prohibits foreigners from buying land.
From January 1, 2024, the second stage of introducing the land market will start in Ukraine, when legal entities registered in Ukraine will be able to buy land. It will be possible to purchase no more than 10 thousand hectares of agricultural land.
In November 2023, an electronic petition was registered to the President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky, the author of which asked the Head of State to submit legislative proposals for consideration to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine that would leave the current limit on the land market for the purchase of agricultural land to 100 until the end of the war. ha “in one hand”.
On December 21, 2023, Zelensky addressed the Prime Minister of Ukraine Denis Shmygal with a proposal to work on the issues raised in this petition.
