Poroshenko signs law on moratorium on farmland sales

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has signed the law extending a moratorium on the sale of agricultural land until 2020, according to the website of the Verkhovna Rada.

"[The law] was returned with the president's signature on February 4, 2019," reads a note on law No. 9355-5.

The Verkhovna Rada on December 20, 2018 extended a moratorium on the sale of agricultural land for a year, until January 1, 2020.

In addition, later, on January 17, the Verkhovna Rada rejected a draft resolution to repeal its decision of December 20 on the adoption of the law No. 9355-5 introducing amendments to Section X "Transitional Provisions" of the Land Code of Ukraine regarding the extension of the ban on the sale of agricultural land.

The ban on the sale of agricultural land was introduced in Ukraine back in 2001. Since 2002, the moratorium has started to act as a temporary measure in order to secure a normative settlement of land relations and the creation of a land market infrastructure. The parliament has repeatedly extended the moratorium since then.