After a wave of criticism, the State Property Fund promised to review the draft withdrawal of land from the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences

The State Property Fund of Ukraine is forced to review the scandalous draft order of the Cabinet of Ministers on the withdrawal of 135.2 thousand hectares of land from the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences. This is stated in the Fund's response to a request from UNN.

It is about a draft transfer of land that is at the disposal of the NAAS and has been used for selection, animal husbandry and scientific experiments for years, to the permanent use of the state enterprise "Reserve", which is under the management of the State Property Fund. This caused a sharp reaction from the Academy, a number of people's deputies, the agrarian committee of the Verkhovna Rada and the public.

Deputies at the meeting of the Verkhovna Rada Agrarian Committee on April 15 directly stated that the Fund's encroachment on these lands is unfounded and sent the draft resolution on the transfer of plots for revision

Under the pressure of arguments, the Fund for the first time recognized the need to amend the prepared draft order. In response to a request, the State Property Fund stated that it would hold a conciliation meeting with representatives of the NAAS on May 13, 2025. 

Based on the results of the meeting and the recommendations provided by all interested parties, the Fund will review and amend the draft order of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine "On the withdrawal and transfer of land plots for permanent use without changing the intended purpose" in order to re-submit it for consideration and approval by the central executive authorities

The Fund promised that during the further formation of the pool of land plots for withdrawal from the NAAS, the "optimal volume of land use of scientific institutions and enterprises" proposed and determined by the Cabinet will be taken into account in order to preserve the branches of selection, seed production, horticulture, viticulture and microbiology.

Thus, after a wave of appeals and public pressure, the State Property Fund was forced to retreat from its position and promises to take into account the needs of the NAAS.

Let us remind you

The alienation of 135.2 thousand hectares of NAAS land in favor of the State Property Fund will mean the loss of more than 18 thousand heads of cattle, 9.9 thousand pigs, 1.9 thousand sheep and 1.2 thousand poultry. A significant part of livestock farms will be forced to cease operations, which will be a serious blow to selective animal husbandry and breeding. This, in turn, will lead to the destruction of the entire system of reproduction of highly productive animals with the best genetic characteristics in Ukraine. This livestock is the basis for the development of domestic animal husbandry - from the quality of meat and milk to disease resistance, productivity, nutrition and effective diet.

In addition, due to the alienation of land, polygons for breeding work and the creation of new varieties of crops, territories for growing elite seeds, testing the latest agricultural technologies, and preserving and developing the base of genetic resources of plants and animals may be lost.

Let's add

Almost a year ago, the State Property Fund created the first operator of state lands, State Land Bank LLC, the purpose of which is to lease land and thus replenish the state budget. The first pool of state-owned land with a total area of almost 91 thousand hectares was transferred there, which the State Property Fund took from various state enterprises and institutions. However, during this time, Derzhzemobank managed to lease only a little more than 20 thousand hectares.