December 10 2003, 07:46 UNIAN

Agricultural lands in Ukraine are used inefficiently - Department for Control and Revisions

Agricultural lands in Ukraine are used inefficiently and the value of land resources remains to be low. This was stated by Natalya Ruban, Deputy Head of the Chief Department for Control and Revisions (KRU, the chief authority for financial control in Ukraine) at a press-conference December 9. In saying so Ms. Ruban was referring to the outcomes of checks, made by her Department at the state enterprises, reporting to the Department of Water Resources and the Committee for Land Resources of Ukraine, in 2000-2002.

Ms. Ruban said almost half of the lands for agricultural use had not been transferred into private property or private use up to the moment. While 98 percent of citizens, entitled for land property rights, have become owners of the land plots, only 43 percent of them have legally confirmed their right by the state land title certificates.

Ms. Ruban said a considerable part of the lands was not put under registration and was being used without any legal documents issued, confirming the title being granted to their owners or users.

She said results of the inspections had shown that no rational usage and protection of lands was being provided, which caused degradation of their fertility. Thus, land reclamation works, which were planned on 165,400 hectares, have been actually made on just 1,600 hectares; out of 1 million hectares of over-moisturised and salted lands, the improvement works have been done on just 25,000 hectares.

According to KRU, the general area of degraded and low-fertile lands at the moment of the inspections constituted almost 25 million hectares, which brings annual losses of more than 30 billion hryvnias (5.33 hryvnias = $1).

Ms. Ruban expressed concern by the fact that most of the rural inhabitants are discontent with the results of the land reform. According to her data, out of 10,000 people that have been questioned 90 percent reported that their financial state had not improved after being granted the land share.

The level of knowledge of the land owners about their rights remains to be extremely low, Ms. Ruban said.