OREANDA-NEWS. November 23, 2012. This is stipulated by amendments to Land and Administrative Offence Codes approved by the government on Wednesday. According to Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry Vasile Bumacov, landlords whose lands are overgrown with weed will be fined from 20 to 150 conditional units for individuals and 150 to 500 c.u. for legal entities.

The breaches will be considered by special administrative commissions under local authoritative bodies. Non-cultivation of agricultural lands is a serious problem for the branch and amounts of such lands are growing Moldova, the Agriculture Minister said. According to recent information, areas of uncultivated lands in Moldova amounts to 247 thou. ha out of the total agricultural area of over 2 mln. ha.,Vasile Bumacov stressed. Most uncultivated lands belong to companies that bought land lots to resell them at higher prices.

Overgrown lots do harm to neighbouring cultivated plantations, the head of the Ministry emphasized. Fines will make landlords of uncultivated lots start cultivating them, or sell either lease them. The amendments aim not to ordinary farmers but to dealers gaining profits on resale instead on investing in cultivation of the lands, Vasile Bumacov explained.

According to him, those who can not cultivate the lands due to reasons beyond their control may either lease them or sell to gain either products or money. Vasile Bumacov called it impermissible for Moldova, which is famous for its fertile soils, to be overgrown with weeds. As being passed, the law comes into effect in a year after its publication.