Kazakhstan’s Land Reforms | The Diplomat
▻http://thediplomat.com/2016/06/kazakhstans-land-reforms
Under the new bill, entities with (at most) 50 percent foreign ownership were eligible to lease agricultural land for 25 years, a 15-year extension from the current code that since 2011 has allowed for a 10-year lease. The bill also eliminated leases on agricultural land to residents of Kazakhstan, creating instead an auction-like mechanism (called a konkurs, or competition) wherein Kazakhs would purchase agricultural plots, thereby acquiring title.
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Land reform is an extremely sensitive topic in #Kazakhstan. In 2003, when the Land Code was introduced, legalizing the notion of private property for the first time in Kazakhstan, people protested and the controversy forced Prime Minister Imangali Tasmagambetov to resign. With 43 percent of the workforce residing in rural regions and 18 percent of the workforce engaged in agriculture, modifications to the Land Code directly impacts a significant portion of the population. Plus, Kazakhs possess an intimate relationship with land; they fought against warring, nomadic tribes for hundreds of years to secure the territory, and view land as the source of all life. There is a Kazakh saying, “land is mother, and you do not rent out your mother.”
In response to recent protests, President Nursultan Nazarbayev placed a moratorium on land reform through December 31, 2016. He also formed the Presidential Commission on Land reform, a 75-member body that includes politicians, businessmen and members of civil society, to explore questions related to land reform, and draft a new bill to submit to the Mazhilis by year-end. The Commission was designed to be an independent, ad hoc body capable of fostering an inclusive and wide-reaching dialogue on issues related to agricultural land reform.
Having convened on three occasions in May 2016 in Astana, the Commission began its multi-week tour around the country, meeting with local farmers, and businessmen. Last week, the Commission held its first off-site session in Akmolinsk oblast, while smaller, roundtables also occurred in Kyzylorda and Kostonay oblasts.