Those with money will lease land in the liberated territories

Agricultural land in Azerbaijan's liberated territories may be leased to business entities through investment tenders. This is reflected in the draft law on proposed amendments and additions to the "Law on Land Lease." The document was discussed at the meeting of the Agrarian Policy Committee of the Milli Majlis (Parliament) on October 14.

Additionally, according to the project, agricultural land near villages and settlements in the Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur economic regions, where people have resettled, will be leased to residents on preferential terms.

In 1996, land reform was conducted in Azerbaijan, and the lands were distributed among the population. However, the Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts of Azerbaijan were excluded from this process (as Azerbaijan had lost control of these areas due to war with Armenia. Control was restored after the 44-day war in 2020 and a one-day military operation last year).

As early as April 2021, President Ilham Aliyev signed a decree on some issues related to the management of agricultural lands in Azerbaijan's liberated territories. The decree granted the Ministry of Agriculture the authority to lease the land.

By the end of 2023, it was announced that 128,000 hectares of agricultural land had been identified in the liberated areas. According to the State Property Issues Service under the Ministry of Economy, six applications for leasing 470.4 hectares of land in Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur were approved in 2023. Overall, approval was granted for 19 applications covering about 2,000 hectares. However, land reform has not yet been carried out in these areas.

Last year, Emin Huseynov, the special representative of the President of Azerbaijan in the liberated territories of the Karabakh economic region (excluding Shusha district), told the media that a special working group had been created to address land reform: "One of the main tasks in the 'First State Program on the Great Return to the Liberated Territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan' is to prepare and submit a proposal on land reform by the end of 2026. Only after that can we talk about land reform. Currently, one of the most important issues is clearing the liberated lands of mines."

The Chairman of the Agrarian Committee of the Milli Majlis, Tahir Rzayev, told Turan that it would be impossible to conduct land distribution before resettlement is complete: "People must be settled there, and the categories of the land must be determined. After that, land reforms should be based on population size and land volume."

According to Rzayev, although land reform has not yet been conducted, farmers are grazing livestock and engaging in other agricultural activities during the summer months: "Over the past two years, about 100,000 hectares of these lands have been brought under cultivation, with wheat, barley, and garden crops being grown. Land reforms will be conducted in the future."

The chairman noted that the proposed law change regarding the leasing of agricultural land in the liberated areas is very significant: "It is planned to use and distribute state-owned land and take other measures. People with the opportunity to invest will have the right to lease these lands through tenders."

He also emphasized that lands in the villages of the liberated areas will be leased to residents on favorable terms: "This is crucial for creating normal living conditions and ensuring the effective use of the land. Many people will earn income from the products they cultivate on leased land."

Agriculture expert Vahid Maharramov told Radio Azadliq that, in reality, the land in these areas is already in the hands of officials: "They have already taken control of the land. Now, the less productive lands that are still suitable for agriculture but aren't being actively cultivated will be leased."

According to Maharramov, officials are obtaining funds from the state budget there: "However, there hasn't been much growth in production. While some cultivation is being carried out in the liberated areas, there has been no progress in any sector nationwide. On the contrary, we see a decline."

Maharramov noted that the total area of agricultural land in Karabakh and Eastern Zangezur is around 600,000 hectares: "Israel, with 400,000 hectares of agricultural land, meets 95 percent of its food needs. But we are not seeing any progress."

In his opinion, effective use of these lands will only be possible once villagers are resettled there.