Economy Ministry says foreign investors should have access to agricultural land

The Ministry of Economy and Trade says that the foreign investors residing in Moldova should be allowed to purchase agricultural land. Economy Minister Igor Dodon said that they have drafted a corresponding bill and will submit it to the Government for examination at one of the next meetings. According to the Ministry, if the state wants to develop agriculture, it would be reasonable to consider the possibility of offering the foreign investors operating in Moldova the opportunity of acquiring agricultural land to start a business. Given that the national legislation provides relevant restrictions, the Ministry of Economy and Trade in concert with other ministries are deciding on the best version of the legislative amendments, Dodon said. The Ministry says that Moldova should implement Romania’s practice where the non-resident that became owner of a company that owns agricultural land is obliged to sell the land to a resident. The Communist MPs have recently rejected two bills allowing the foreign investors to purchase agricultural land in Moldova, put forward by the Opposition legislators. The Opposition considers that the distribution of land to the people led to the excessive parceling of the fields and the owners cannot adequately farm it or leave it uncultivated because they do not have financial resources and the necessary machinery. The Moldovan population does not invest in farmland and the liberalization of the land market, including for foreign investors, can be an efficient mechanism for revitalizing agriculture and consolidating the land. The Communist MPs argued that the current price of about 6,000 lei for a hectare of land is too small compared with the prices in other countries, where they can reach 20,000 euros.