Polish Sejm has voted to extend the ban on state-owned agricultural land sales until 2036, citing social and economic benefits for farmers.
Extended Land Sales Ban
The ban on the sale of state agricultural land will remain in effect for another 10 years, until April 30, 2036. The Sejm enacted an amendment to the April 14, 2016 law on the suspension of sales of properties of the Agricultural Property Resources of the State Treasury.
Exceptions to the Rule
The Minister of Agriculture, upon the request of the president of the National Support Centre for Agriculture (KOWR), may give consent for the sale of land or its parts if justified by social or economic reasons.
Government Justification
The government explains that thanks to the ban, farmers will be able to use the land without the need to spend large sums to purchase it and invest in the development of their farms. Meanwhile, the state, as the landowner, will maintain control over how it is used, and income from leasing will largely return to farmers, for example in case of drought or other difficult weather conditions.
2024 Agricultural Land Statistics
According to the KOWR report for 2024, the area of agricultural land was 1.33 million hectares, of which 1.045 million hectares were leased, i.e. 6.7 thousand hectares more than in the previous year.
In 2024, 5.3 thousand tenders for leasing land with a total area of 53.3 thousand hectares were conducted, of which 3.7 thousand tenders covering 41.7 thousand hectares were resolved. The effectiveness of the tenders numerically was 69.2%, and in terms of area – 78.3%.