Photo from UNIAN
Ukraine's Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman says that only individuals with Ukrainian citizenship will be allowed to buy or sell farm land, as is stipulated in a bill on the land market, according to TV Channel 112 Ukraine.
"The law on the moratorium [on the sale of agricultural land] is now in parliament, but we have already extended our cooperation [with the International Monetary Fund insisting on the launch of farm land sale in Ukraine from 2018 after the moratorium expires] in the framework of this tranche," Groysman said.
He claimed that the moratorium could be cancelled only when it becomes clear how land owners are protected.
"The moratorium can be lifted only when land owners' safeguards are clear. The subject of land is extremely sensitive in Ukrainian society. We are now interacting with the IMF only for the purpose of creating modern high-quality conditions for land sale and purchase," he said.
Groysman assures there are no threats in the proposed model of the land market.
Read alsoGroysman: Decentralization reform yields result - local budgets see additional UAH 100 bln"We are talking about the fact that we can create a land market model that will allow only Ukrainian individuals to sell their plots of land to each other and solve this issue. There will be no threats. I will not support the land reform that can be used either by large agro holdings, or conditionally by foreigners who would come to Ukraine and buy up all the land," Groysman said.
"As far as I'm aware of the mood in parliament, this format – [sale] between land owners with limitations – is absolutely realistic to create a strong, viable class of farmers," he added.
As UNIAN reported, further cooperation with the IMF provides for Ukraine's implementation of a number of structural reforms aimed at the country's economic recovery.
In particular, the IMF memorandum envisages the adoption by Ukraine of a law regulating the agricultural land turnover, and launch of its sale starting in2018, after the end of the moratorium.
The adoption of the law by the end of May is a structural benchmark of the IMF, and the willingness to launch the sale of agricultural land is indicated in a Letter of Intent sent to the IMF by the authorities of Ukraine.