Monday, April 15 2019 19:00

ArmInfo. Ministry of Agriculture  in November of this year. intends to submit to the National Assembly  a draft law on land reform, which provides for mandatory leasing of  uncultivated land.

This was announced during a press conference on  April 15 and. Minister of Agriculture Gegham Gevorgyan."It's not a  secret that about 40% of land suitable for agriculture in Armenia is  not used for various reasons, in particular, this is due to the fact  that 20% of the owners of these lands are located outside Armenia,"  he said. According to him, the reform involves an inventory and  identify the causes of non-use of these land resources. 

Gevorgyan explained that the state does not intend to deprive  landowners of property, but in case of non- use of land, farmers will  be obliged to lease it on a rental basis.In addition, the  introduction of the institution of land consolidation is envisaged.  In this vein, and. The minister explained that at the time when the  land was heard, the peasants received land on an average area of 1  ha, which mainly consisted of various pieces and were located in  different places. The introduction of the consolidation institute,  according to him, will allow combining these sites, in particular,  through their exchange between owners and as a result, get areas of  4-5 hectares, depending on what direction you plan to develop,  because in small areas it is impossible to talk about development of  efficient agricultural production. If a tenant is not found, the  state will assume obligations to buy out "unowned" lands, consolidate  them and sell them.