By Presidential Decree of the Republic of Uzbekistan of September 12 of this year, “On additional measures to ensure the continuity of agricultural production and improve the efficiency of land use on agricultural lands” (No. PD-172), executors of agricultural lands have been granted the right to transfer their rights and obligations under a lease agreement on part of their leased land plots to another person.

In the election program of our party, the task was set to improve the legal framework for the partial transfer (sale) of lease rights to agricultural land plots.

This very provision of the decree (Section III) demonstrates that the ideas outlined in our election program are being implemented.

This Presidential Decree was adopted to ensure the rational, efficient, and continuous use of land resources in agriculture, providing timely registration and utilization of idle land plots, and simplifying the procedure for subleasing land.

Several rules were established regarding the partial transfer of lease rights to land plots to another person.

First, there are requirements concerning the size of the land plots retained by the original lessee and those transferred to the new sublessee.

These requirements are based on Article 46¹ of the Land Code and are intended to ensure the sustainable operation of agricultural producers.

Accordingly, the minimum and maximum sizes of land plots retained by the lessee and transferred to the sublessee are set as follows:

For dehkan farms – from 0.06 hectares to 1 hectare (and in certain territories designated by Presidential decisions – from 0.06 hectares to 5 hectares);

– for farms and other legal entities:

specialized in vegetable growing – at least 3 hectares;

specialized in horticulture and viticulture – at least 3 hectares;

specialized in the production of livestock products for growing fodder crops (per one head of cattle):

irrigated lands – at least 0.3 hectares;

rainfed lands – at least 1 hectare,

pastures and hayfields – at least 2 hectares.

for farms specialized in cotton and grain production – at least 30 hectares;

for farms specialized in grain growing, vegetable cultivation, sericulture, and mulberry farming – at least 10 hectares;

– for agro-industrial clusters, including cooperative clusters:

specialized in cotton-textile production – at least 2,000 hectares;

specialized in grain production – at least 1,000 hectares;

specialized in vegetable and melon cultivation – at least 200 hectares;

specialized in horticulture and viticulture – at least 100 hectares;

Specialized in the production of livestock products for growing fodder crops (per head of cattle):

irrigated lands – at least 0.3 hectares;

rainfed lands – at least 1 hectare;

pastures and hayfields – at least 2 hectares;

specialized in sericulture and mulberry farming – at least 10 hectares.

Second, in the partial subleasing of land plots, their distribution between the original lessee and the sublessee shall be carried out by reallocating separate land contours while preserving the integrity of the agricultural map contours and the existing irrigation system.

Third, in cases of partial subleasing of land plots, the parties are required to use the services of the state authority responsible for dividing agricultural land plots and establishing their new boundaries.

According to analyses, the necessity of transferring lease rights to agricultural land plots to other persons may arise in the following cases:

– shortage of labor force for cultivating the land allocated to the lessee;

– limited financial resources for producing agricultural products;

– insufficient opportunities to adopt modern machinery and technologies in carrying out agrotechnical measures;

– the need to attract investments for the rational use of land resources;

– introducing modern technologies into agriculture, and other factors.