Non-use of Agricultural Lands to Be Punished

The Ministry of Agriculture has drafted a bill to amend the Code of Administrative Offences (CAO) and the Land Code, according to which persons not using agricultural land for their purposes within two years will be punished administratively.

The Ministry of Agriculture told Turan that it is proposed to supplement the Land Code, providing for the prevention of non-use of land for two consecutive years on the right of ownership to it. Also to be determined is the state structure, which will maintain the register of such lands. If the land is transferred to the owner of the lease, the tenant is notified of the introduction of the plot in the corresponding register to make the appropriate addition. Over the next legal phenomena the tenant will be responsible, which it is noted in the bill.

According to the draft amendments to the CAO, the amount of the fine for individuals will be 0.3 manat per each conditional score on one hectare of land, and for legal entities - 0.5 manat. If the land is not to be used in the third year, the amount of the fine is doubled. In subsequent years, farmers will pay a three-time penalty.

The term "conventional point" refers to conventional point used in determining the land tax.

Note that such an initiative was made by President Ilham Aliyev, who has repeatedly spoken out against the widespread phenomenon of exclusion from the rotation of suitable agricultural lands, in most cases rented by individuals, as he said. -----08D