You're reading: Lawmakers vote down prolongation of moratorium on sale of farmland until 2013

The Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, on Friday voted down a bill on the prolongation of a moratorium on the sale of farmland until 2013

The moratorium prolongation bill scored votes from a mere 32 Members of Parliament.

Verkhovna Rada Chairman Volodymyr Lytvyn instructed a sectorial committee to prepare the issue for consideration during the next plenary week.

"I ask the committee to submit a finalized draft law for the next plenary sitting, so that we could regulate this issue before January 31, 2012," Lytvyn said.

Earlier on Friday, Lytvyn noted that lawmakers would have to pass a separate document to prolong the moratorium on the sale of farmland in 2012 due to the fact that the law on the land market has to take effect from January 1, 2013.

As reported, if it is adopted as a whole, the bill on the land market will take effect on January 1, 2013. MPs who discussed the land market bill noted that the moratorium on the sale of farmland should be prolonged until the law on the land market becomes effective.

The moratorium on the sale of land in Ukraine expires on January 1, 2012.