On January 1, a new stage of land reform started in Ukraine, according to which the limits for the sale of agricultural land increased from 100 to 10,000 hectares. Small and medium-sized agribusinesses are now under threat, and the functioning of rural areas is at risk.

Farmers have initiated a postponement of the increase in the limits and are waiting for the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine to reconsider the issue.

"For the first time in the history of independence, the agrarian association collected 25,000 votes under a petition to the President with a request to reconsider the increase in land sale limits in 2024. Today, we are waiting for a response from the Cabinet of Ministers, which was instructed by the President to comprehensively study the possibility of postponing the increase in the maximum area of agricultural land to a single entity from 100 to 10,000 hectares until the end of the war.

Because the increase in limits has made people who have been investing in agribusiness development for decades more dependent. Now, amid the war, they have become impoverished and hostage to the situation - they will work for people who come with big money. It is good if it is honestly earned money. But we see a lot of news about corruption, and corrupt officials will want to legalize the money by investing it in land. Representatives of small and medium-sized businesses should not be held hostage to the situation, this is one of the key issues today," said the UAC Deputy Chairman Denys Marchuk.

Increasing land sale limits is unfair to producers from the occupied and liberated territories, as well as to the military.

"We are talking about the impoverishment of producers in general, but we are not talking about the temporarily occupied territories. Farmers there have nothing - their farms are looted, mined, their assets are destroyed, and they can't even take out loans. How should they deal with the new land market conditions? Every military has the right to receive 2 hectares of agricultural land. How will they realize this right after the war is over? When we raise this issue, we hear about the need for a reform. There must be a reform, but we need to stop large-scale land sales during the war. Otherwise, social riots are possible in the future. And today we need to consolidate society to fight the common enemy. We cannot have such limits of 10,000 hectares," added Denys Marchuk.

The Deputy Chairman of the UAC reminded that small and medium-sized agricultural businesses are the holders of rural communities and territories where 50% of the population live.