Ukraine to monitor land transactions with new system

The State Service for Geodesy, Cartography and Cadastre is developing a system for monitoring land relations, which is necessary for the timely launch of the farmland market.

This is stated in the agency's website.

It says the system will display data from the State Land Cadastre and the register of rights to real estate, transactions with land plots, land taxes, litigation and privatization data.

The system will also show the range of fluctuations in land prices (from floor to ceiling ones), the location of land plots, information about owners, the total area of land plots exceeding 100 hectares, and the like.

"This information is a necessary foundation for the development of a sound state policy in the field of land relations. At the same time, the general availability of such data is the basis for the transparency of the land sector," acting Head of the State Service for Geodesy, Cartography and Cadastre Serhiy Zavadsky was quoted as saying.

The department noted that the monitoring system would help analyze, identify trends and problems in the field of land relations at the level of both districts and regions, and the country as a whole.

Digitalization

At the end of February 2021, the State Service for Geodesy, Cartography and Cadastre showcased the National Geospatial Data Infrastructure (NGDI) portal, which will contribute to the complete digitalization of all processes and data in the country.

More than a thousand profiles featuring the landscape of Ukraine have already been added to the Ukrainian Geodata Portal.

Read alsoNational compromise: Minister explains how land market is set to work

Launch of farmland market in Ukraine

• On November 14, 2019, a bill on the lease and sale of state-owned and municipal land via e-auctions (No. 2195) passed its first reading in parliament.
• Ukrainian agribusinesses urged lawmakers to back that bill.
• On April 28, 2021, the Verkhovna Rada adopted a comprehensive bill on deregulation in the field of land relations.
• Bill No. 2194 provides for the transfer of state-owned land outside villages and towns (except for land that the state needs to perform its functions) into municipal ownership of village and town councils or territorial communities. The latter are also empowered to change the designated purpose of privately owned plots of land.
• In addition, it is proposed that the powers of the State Service for Geodesy, Cartography, and Cadastre were revised.
• On April 28, 2020, President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a bill on amendments into law to launch the farmland market in Ukraine from July 1, 2021.
• The law foresees gradual land reform: from July 1, 2021, citizens of Ukraine will be able to buy farmland plots capped at 100 hectares. At the second stage, i.e. from January 1, 2024, the cap will be raised to 10,000 hectares, while legal entities will also be allowed to acquire land plots.
• On May 13, 2021, it was reported the Constitutional Court of Ukraine on June 3, 2021, would start considering a motion filed by a number of lawmakers challenging the law on farmland turnover.
• On May 18, 2021, the Verkhovna Rada adopted a draft law on the sale of land under new rules.
• On May 19, 2021, lawmakers managed to unblock the signing of the law on deregulation of land relations.
• On May 24, 2021, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky enacted law No. 2194 on deregulation of land relations.
• On May 25, 2021, Minister for Agrarian Policy and Food Roman Leshchenko announced that the farmland market in Ukraine would be launched from July 1, 2021.
• On the same day, May 25, 2021, information appeared that the Verkhovna Rada might allow state-owned enterprises to officially lease state-owned land out.