Governors approve of farmland sale and purchase law

The governors approve of a farmland sale and purchase bill, Orlov Region Governor Yegor Stroyev, heading an ad hoc group of the State Council board, said following a State Council meeting Monday. He described the bill as complex and found it necessary that Russian regions should have an opportunity to enter the farmland property market gradually. He said the meeting sprang no surprises whatsoever, since the ad hoc group had summed up all the proposals and questions filed by the governors. Property in farmland does exist in Russia, Mr Stroyev said. However, the procedure of passing over farm land is yet to be established. The most important thing, according to Yegor Stroyev, will be to uphold interests of farmers who cannot afford to buy land. The Orlov regional governor also deemed it necessary to provide for an investment inflow in the agribiz sector. The State Council meeting lasted 2 hours and 45 minutes, with 11 of a total of 89 regional leaders having taken the floor