New regulations published by the Official Gazette authorize the release of land extending to 67.10 acres also to individuals linked to Credit and Services Cooperatives (CCS).
These rules are contained in Decree Law No. 311 “amending the Decree Law No. 300 ” and Decree No. 319 ” amending Decree No. 304 ” , published in the Official Gazette No.4 . In these cases, applications are subject to approval by the Chief or the Provincial Director of Agriculture, and the Chief of the Special Municipality Isle of Youth, as appropriate.
The published regulations state that those authorizations will be granted in those municipalities where only exist CCS or in cases where state farms with legal personality , the Basic Units of Cooperative Production ( UBPCs ) and Agriculture Production Cooperatives (CPA ) are located more than five kilometers away from the areas requested in usufruct.
If, as applicable, other special situations occur, the Delegate or Provincial Director of Agriculture and the Chief of the Special Municipality of the Isle of Youth may approve exceptionally the lease of lands, after consulting the Minister of Agriculture.
Over one million 580 thousand hectares of idle land have been given so far in usufruct since in 2008 entered into force Decree- Law 259 . In 2012, that law was amended by Decree -Law 300, with which were implemented fundamental changes to find more flexible ways of doing this process.
One of the main decisions taken at that time allowed to increase to 67.10 hectares the area granted to individuals who were already owned and / or were leasers of land, take them into full production and fulfill their legal and contractual obligations.
As a requirement, moreover, they should be linked to state farms with legal personality, Basic Units of Cooperative Production (UBPCs) or Agricultural Production Cooperatives (CPA).
It was then excluded the possibility of extending the areas to natural persons owning property or land in usufruct that they are connected to the Credit and Services Cooperatives.
Data provided by the Ministry of Agriculture to Granma newspaper on the annual update of the balance of land use on last June, show that the country has an agricultural area of over six million hectares. Of these, around one million were still idle, representing 16 percent of the total.
