The Federation Council is opposed to the bill currently under consideration in the State Duma by which the land category for "agricultural use" would be eliminated, council chairman Valentina Matvienko said during a presentation last week by Agriculture Minister Nikolai Fyodorov, Interfax reported.
"The Agriculture Ministry thinks it entirely undesirable — and I am mildly expressing my own position when I say even unacceptable — that there could be a decision to eliminate the very valuable classification of land as being for 'agricultural use,'" said the minister, adding he does support improvements to land classification legislation.
"The position of the Federation Council coincides with yours," Matvienko said. She directed one of the council's committee chairmen to work more actively with the State Duma on the matter. The State Duma is considering a bill that would eliminate the current system of land categorization.
(MT)
