January 29 2003, 11:13 UNIAN

The number of individual farming businesses in Ukraine increased

The number of individual farming businesses in Ukraine (as opposed to large agricultural enterprises, formed on the basis of former kolkhozes and state-owned agricultural entities) over 2002 increased by 1,400 business-units and by the end of the year reached 43,000 registered juridical persons.

The number of such businesses grows at fastest in Odessa, Dnepropetrovsk, Kirovograd, Cherkassy, Nikolayev, Zaporozhye regions and the Autonomous Republic of Crimea.

According to State Statistics Committee, individual farmers have been using 2.823 million hectares of agricultural lands. One such enterprise has 61 to 66 hectares of land on average.