Ukrainian PM Denys Shmyhal stated that since the
agricultural land market opened on July 1, 322 sales have been recorded. “Myths
about the mass sale of land and the export of Ukrainian black soil remain just
myths,” epravda.com.ua reports him as saying at a government meeting on July 7.
As we reported previously, the opening
of the land market ends a 20-year moratorium on domestic sales and purchases by
private individuals. Commercial domestic transactions will be permitted from
2024, and there is no date yet for foreigners to receive permission.
James Hydzik: Private
agricultural land transactions are an important step in the transformation of
agriculture as a business in Ukraine. The next step, commercial transactions,
is often pictured as involving agricultural giants, but raising the level of
SMEs in the industry will be dependent on this as well.