President Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed the Measures to ensure continuous manufacturing on agricultural land and improve land use efficiency Decree Friday.

The Decree is aimed at fully engaging available land in circulation, simplifying their re-lease and setting exclusive lease rights for all forms of land use.

As per the Decree, mayors of districts and cities shall be personally responsible for the timely registration of all available agricultural land in the cadastre system, for cancellation of use rights and placement of such lands for e-auctions no later than 10 days after their registration.

Revenues from lease of such lands received by local budgets, by decisions of the councils of People's Deputies, will be directed exclusively to the development of infrastructure in the agricultural sector - irrigation, water-saving technologies, the development of new and abandoned areas, the introduction of scientific innovations.

Tenants have been granted the right to transfer part of their plots (previously either in full or as a sublease) to other persons, subject to the minimum areas (under Article 46-1 of the Land Code), maintaining the contours and operating irrigation systems. For such cases, a new state service for dividing a plot and establishing new boundaries will be launched.

The Decree has outlined that the only form of ownership of agricultural land in Uzbekistan is lease. Other forms of ownership are not subject to registration, with the exception of:

• agricultural lands of state bodies, institutions and enterprises that have undergone state registration on the right of a type other than the right of lease, as well as agricultural lands as part of other categories of the land fund;
• land allocated before August 1, 2021 for running a farm and a household plot with the right to build individual housing, as well as horticultural and viticultural partnerships.

By January 1, 2027, owners and users will be able to change their lease rights based on decisions of local councils. The lease term shall be 30 years for natural persons and legal entities of Uzbekistan, 25 years for foreign-invested enterprises.

The responsible bodies have been given orders to ensure the transparency of the process, timely entry of information into the E-ijara system, complete the redistribution of plots in permanent use by January 1, 2026, and within two months submit a draft law on revising liability for land violations taking into account the new rules on partial re-lease.