As of May next year owners of agricultural land will be obliged to give priority to farmers if they plan to sell their plots, reports the Hospodárske Noviny daily, citing a draft bill prepared by the Agriculture Ministry.
Sellers will first need to seek a buyer among farmers in their village followed by those in the neighbouring ones, and only if she or he has not found any interested parties, would the plots be able to be offered to other people. Although the Ministry says the measure’s aim is to keep speculators at bay, experts say that farmers in the village of the seller would in fact be tempted to dictate the price.
Anca Dragu
