Amendment to the Code: "Oligarch Officials Have Appropriated Half of the Pasture Lands, Building Large Villas"

President Ilham Aliyev approved a law today (July 30) amending the Land Code. According to the amendments, construction of necessary facilities on agricultural land will now be permitted.

Some farmers are concerned that this change may lead to a reduction in agricultural land and deterioration in conditions for growing crops and livestock. They fear that the law might be misused for construction on these lands.

Farmers in Bilasuvar district, engaged in livestock farming and who wished to remain anonymous, told Azadliq Radio that pasture lands have diminished in recent years: "It was state land, originally a pasture, but some individuals have built large farms on it. Now we fear that the remaining land for pastures might also be taken away."

The Ministry of Agriculture told Turan that only 1% of land parcels larger than 5 hectares and located within a single boundary can be used for construction without changing their designation: "These constructions should be temporary. They should be intended for agricultural production and processing, as well as for the accommodation of workers engaged in these activities."

The Ministry also stated that the law does not permit the construction of private homes for residential purposes, only essential living space for workers involved in agricultural activities: "This law does not allow for the construction of residential homes. This will be under control, and needs will be assessed. Permission for construction will be based on the opinions of the State Committee for Urban Planning and Architecture and local executive authorities."

The Ministry emphasized that the amendments are designed to adapt the agricultural sector to the investment environment in line with modern requirements.

Agricultural expert Vahid Mehremli also mentioned to Azadliq Radio that he had previously advocated for such proposals: "I had suggested that land parcels located far from the village, which are large and where farmers perform planting and harvesting without having rest areas, should be allowed by law to create such opportunities. Now the law provides for this possibility."

He noted that while the change is important, the construction must be temporary: "Currently, some lands may need to be redistributed later. The distribution of these lands was not done fairly, and measurements were incorrect. A while ago, specialists from Turkey were invited by the Azerbaijani government to measure the lands accurately and determine boundaries. It turned out that the measurements were incorrect. There are serious court disputes, and therefore, the implementation of the law should be suspended until the exact measurements and boundaries of each farmer's land are determined."

Mehremli emphasized that there should be strict oversight to prevent misuse of the temporary constructions and avoid damage to neighboring areas. However, he noted that construction on pasture lands is not permissible: "Pasture lands are state-owned. This should not be done there. But it should be noted that about half of the pasture lands have already been appropriated by oligarch officials, who have built large villas, and unfortunately, this issue remains unresolved. Our livestock farming is already deteriorating."

The expert believes that these changes could also provide a legal cover for oligarch officials to carry out constructions on these lands, which could seriously harm livestock farming and the agricultural sector.