I am against taking away privately owned land - President

President Sadyr Zhaparov commented on the situation with the country's foreign debt and new amendments to the Land Code in an interview with the Kabar agency. He noted that he is against the seizure of privately owned land and that private property is inviolable.

However, the President said that it is likely to be about the lands leased to the State Property Management Fund (SPMF), which are not used and overgrown with weeds. Such lands, according to the head of state, should be returned to agricultural turnover.

‘Not a single square metre of land should be vacant. If the owner cannot cultivate the land, the government can lease it and use it for agricultural production,’ Zhaparov explained.

The President also appealed to private land owners to actively utilise their land to grow crops such as wheat, barley and potatoes to reduce the country's dependence on food imports.

‘The government has no aim to take away your land and enrich itself at your expense. Our goal is to ensure the country's food security,’ he emphasised.

In conclusion, Sadyr Zhaparov assured that if the draft law includes a norm on seizure of unused lands of private property, he will return it with a negative opinion.