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The Government will consult with the farmers on the land lease problem

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Θα διαβουλε&upsilon ;θεi με τους αγρoτες για το πρoβλη μα της μiσθωσης γης η Κυβeρνηση /></p> <p><b>The intention of the Ministries of the Interior and Agriculture to talk with the representatives of the agricultural world, in order to find solutions to the problem that has arisen after the decision of the Council of Ministers (CoM) for the mandatory licensing of real estate located in plots of state land that have been leased for agricultural purposes uses, expressed today the competent Ministers of the Interior, Nikos Nouris, and of Agriculture, Kostas Kadis, during the meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture.</b></p> <p>At the meeting of the Commission, the procedures for determining the rent for the lease of forest and peat land for the purposes of agricultural exploitation were put up for ex officio examination. The debate was particularly occupied by the decision of the Council of Ministers in February 2022 to terminate the existing licenses for the use of gravel and forest land on December 31, while for the issuance of the new licenses, in which it was noted that priority will be given to beneficiaries who use them until the end of this lease, a necessary condition is the securing of permits for properties located within the lands and related to their activities.</p> <p>During his presentation at the meeting, the Minister of the Interior, Nikos Nouris, stated that the complaints regarding the rents of the parcels come mainly from farmers in Famagusta District and emphasized that the price is set according to the characteristics of the parcel (topography, irrigated or dry and .etc.) and not depending on whether it is adjacent to other development zones.</p> <p>He also explained that in order for the Ministry to keep pace with the relevant legislation and the European acquis, the horizontal rent policy is not preferred, but is determined according to market rental rates and is subject to adjustments.</p> <p>In response to a question from the President of the Commission, Giannakis Gavriel, regarding the freezing of rents for industrial plots since 2013, by decision of the Ministry of Commerce, he said that it is not within his competence to judge whether the methodology applied by another Ministry has distortions, but he emphasized that the Ministry of the Interior follows a specific methodology in order to comply with the legislation.</p> <p>“We are not immovable from our positions, we are open to consultation that the agricultural organizations have requested,” Mr. Nouris said afterwards, referring to the problems created with the licensing of real estates that serve agricultural activities in the state parcels. He explained that with a recent decree concerning agricultural warehouses, the licensing of properties with specific square footage and characteristics is foreseen, so that they are covered by the legislation and their conversion into country houses is avoided.</p> <p>The Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, Kostas Kadis, in his statements after the meeting said that “it is clear that the rent cannot be arbitrarily determined for the lease of pieces” of state and forest land, adding that there is specific legislation that is harmonized with the European acquis, according to which the rent must be determined according to the market price. He clarified that the criterion for determining the price is the type of use of the plot and not the development of the area it may be adjacent to, which may be touristic.</p> <p>“We informed the Committee about the decision of the Council of Ministers to give away rents for two consecutive years and this shows how much the government wants to support the agricultural sector”, noted the Minister. He added that the vast majority of farmers pay their rents regularly and that the portion that does not adjust is small. Specifically, as he mentioned during the Commission meeting, in the provinces of Larnaca and Famagusta, out of the 1683 vacant uses, there is a problem with payment of rent in approximately 24%.</p> <p>Mr. Kadis also mentioned that “a huge effort is being made to rationalize the infrastructures hosted in rural areas”, such as packing houses, warehouses and greenhouses. “We are trying to legalize what can be legalized and end the use of illegal infrastructure,” he added. He said that a joint meeting of the two Ministries with agricultural organizations has been agreed to discuss further aspects of this process.</p> <p>In response to a journalist's question about the December 31 deadline given to farmers for the licensing of properties, the Minister stressed that “under no circumstances will we put a gun to the temple of our farmers, we will show the maximum possible flexibility and help them license any illegal infrastructure they have installed and we will be strict with those who do not adapt”.</p> <p>In his statements after the meeting, the President of the Committee and Member of Parliament of AKEL, Giannakis Gavriel, stated that after a meeting on the same issue in March 2021, the Committee was expecting proposals to settle the issue from the two Ministries, but the two Ministers , “repeated themselves”, adding that “the corresponding political will does not exist”.</p> <p>He also mentioned that the users of gravel and forest land were asked to demolish their properties, based on a ministerial decision, which were considered illegal because they could not obtain a relevant permit, while today the Commission was informed of a relevant decree that allows their licensing, for the which, however, the farmers are not aware of. “It is by nature impossible to issue planning or construction permits in such a short period of time. We asked for an extension of the deadline, so that the farmers do not lose the hectare subsidy from KOAP, for which it is necessary to submit a rental document”, explained Mr. Gavriel, mentioning that the farmers were already burdened with a rent increase.</p > <p>“There are two decisions of the Council of Ministers, which if there was a political will they would change them, but it is clear that they do not want to”, concluded Mr. Gavriil, contrasting the fact that for the industrialists the Ministry of Commerce has proceeded to freeze the rents of the industrial plots since 2013.</p> <p>DISY Member of Parliament, Charalambos Pazaros, noted in his statements that it became clear that a problem is being created with the issuance of new usage permits, since several farmers and breeders do not have permits for the constructions within the plots they use (eg: tanks, warehouses, garages, etc. etc.). “Full compliance with the legality is a condition for the issuance of new permits and it is understood that those of the existing tenants who do not have a building permit for their properties will not be approved to use state or forest land,” he said.</p> <p >He also added that “DISY understands the problem of farmers on the one hand, on the other hand it also understands the necessary condition for compliance with the regulations and the relevant legislation”, noting that “with good will and through dialogue, the solution will be found intersection that will solve the problem that arose from the necessary, but also correct decision of the Council of Ministers”. He also referred to the problem with the amount of rent, saying that “the proposal to set a uniform rent price is taken into account and will be examined”.</p> </p> <p><noindex></p> <div class=Source: www.reporter.com.cy

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