The Russia Journal

MOSCOW - Russia's agriculture minister expects that by the end of the year reforms will be enacted allowing sales of farm land for the first time since the 1917 Bolshevik revolution, he said on Thursday.

"We expect the first reading of this bill to be passed by the State Duma (the lower house of parliament) during its spring session, and the second and the third readings to take place in the autumn," Alexei Gordeyev told a news briefing.

Under Russia's constitution, a bill has to be passed by the Duma in three readings, then sent to the parliament's upper house before it is signed into law by President Vladimir Putin.

Putin on Monday urged his government to speed up efforts to push the land reform bill, a key plank in his economic reforms, through parliament.

The government approved a draft bill on the sale of farm land at the end of January.

Gordeyev said the government could negotiate changes in the bill, adding that more restrictions on foreign ownership could be introduced to please regional leaders.

The current draft bill already prohibits foreigners from owning farm land in regions close to Russia's vast borders.

Duma members have drafted several variations of the proposed law, ranging from free farm land trade to severely restricted sales which are advocated mainly by communists.

The chamber plans to hold hearings on farm land reform on April 22, the same day that the draft bill will be examined by the State Council, a presidential advisory body.

Farm land occupies 406 million hectares (around one billion acres), or 23.8 percent, of Russia's total area.