You're reading: Moratorium on sale of farmland should be canceled from 2013

Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych has said that some tasks remain to be carried out to cancel the moratorium on farmland sales from January 1, 2013.

"The realization of the said tasks should provide for the cancellation of the moratorium on farmland sales in Ukraine from January 1, 2013," reads an annual address of the head of state to the Ukrainian parliament, a copy of which has been sent to Interfax-Ukraine.

In particular, Yanukovych said that the law on the land market should be adopted this year to form the farmland market. He said that the document should foresee a minimum term of five years for land processing, during which restrictions on the sale of ownership rights to land plots should be in effect. In addition, the Ukrainian president proposed to permit the purchase of farmland, in particular, by those who are at an economically active age and have education allowing them to work the land.

As reported, on March 15, 2011 Yanukovych has said that the land market should be launched in Ukraine from 2012.

Currently the sale and purchase of agricultural land is banned in Ukraine until the laws on the state land cadastre and the land market are adopted. In addition, the Verkhovna Rada on December 22, 2009 adopted a law prolonging until January 1, 2012 the moratorium on the sale and purchase of agricultural land, and on January 19, 2010 overrode the president’s veto of the law.

On March 20, 2007 parliament adopted the law on the state land cadastre, although the president vetoed it. The draft law on the land market has been adopted at first reading.