The agroeconomic year 2019/2020 is a record year for leased land in a large number of municipalities and cities, according to the Agricultural Land Administration website.
For now, record areas of government land are leased to Babusnica, Golubac, Knic, Kursumlija, Ljubovija, Medvedja, Nova Varos, Pozega, Prijepolje, Prokuplje, Razanj and Raska.
This information is based on part of the completed procedures within the first round of public bidding for the leasing of state agricultural land, which was tendered in 37 local self-government units in Serbia, and the second round of public bidding in 96 local self-governments.
The Administration’s website states that in the next few days, it is expected that the remaining 12 local self-governments, with the consent of the Agricultural Land Administration, will also lease the state land in the first round.
The Administration points out that, for example, 14.7870 hectares were leased in Knic this year, while 6.2750 hectares were leased last year, while no state agricultural land was leased in Požega last year, and 51.1895 acres were leased this year. Then, in Prokuplje, 14 tenancy agreements were concluded for a period of 10 years in an area of ​​48.0036 hectares, which, they alleged, increased the total area under a multi-year lease in that municipality to as much as 519.0578 hectares.
Nova Varos has the largest increase in leased areas this year, adding to the Administration that it leases 278.5355 hectares, which is 3.5 times more than the previous year. The Administration expects that, after the leasing process is completed in other municipalities and cities, new record areas of leased state land will emerge, most notably a multi-year lease.
They estimate that the leased areas are the result of a detailed inventory and record of state agricultural land that has been established and monitored with the support of the most up-to-date geographic information system implemented by the Administration in all local government units and for the entire state agricultural land.
They also state that the increase in farmers’ interest is also due to the fact that the Administration offers mainly ten-year lease periods that allow farmers to have certainty and plan their agricultural production in the long run.
