Government to put up uncultivated agricultural land for rent

TIRANA, March 29 – Agricultural land which is left uncultivated by its owners for at least two years will be put up for rent while revenues will be distributed between local government units and the owners. The draft law was approved on Monday by the majority members of parliamentary committee of Productive Activities.
Government representatives have insisted the controversial draft will not affect land ownership but stimulate the agricultural sector and land cultivation.
“This change does not affect land ownership at all. The land, although uncultivated, remains under the ownership of the farmer who has won it under a decision. The only change in this case is that it will be put up for rent to be cultivated,” said Jemin Gjana, the head of the parliamentary committee.
According to data by the Agricultural Ministry, some 50,000 hectares of land, nearly 10 percent of total agricultural land under private ownership has been left uncultivated for many years. Considerable areas of these lands are situated in the western lowlands, the country’s most productive lands. The situation is a result of massive immigration of Albanian farmers and sometimes high costs which makes cultivation unaffordable.
Irfan Tarelli, a director at the Agricultural Ministry, says that failure to cultivate lands for many years has made many lands inappropriate to use. According to him, the draft law regulates rental procedures clearly so that ownership is not infringed and land is used stimulating the economy.
The government-backed draft law has been opposed by ex-owners and the opposition who say that the state cannot intervene in the relationship of owners with their lands but only collect the taxes.
However, Prime Minister Sali Berisha has described the approval of the draft law a necessity and of public interest considering that two-thirds of the Albanian territory is mountainous.
Under the draft law, a commission will be set up to identify uncultivated land each year until September 15. The land will be rented to third parties under contracts of up to five years.