The Use of Private Farm lands in Lithuania up to March 23, 2009

Abstract

By 2009, 77.9% of private farm lands have been privatized in our country. The largest areas of private lands of private farms are situated in Telsiai and Taurage counties (86.4 and 84.5%, respectively). In Marijampole municipality - 78.5%. 5.5% of the users in Lithuania demand to privatize the used private farm land, whereas in Marijampole county - 3.5%. 6.4% of the citizens in Lithuania want to lease the used private farm land from the State. In Marijampole county - 4.8%. 87.4% of the private farm lands were privatized and the agreements on the state-owned land lease from the used private farm land area were made. In Marijample county - 91.7%. The largest areas of such lands are situated in Telsiai county - 96.9%. Private farm lands are considered lands that are necessary for the supply of people with agricultural production necessary for family demands. People who lived in rural localities and towns as well as in urban-type settlements and used to work in agricultural enterprises had right to get land plots for the establishment of private farms. In the article was analysed the use of private farm lands in Lithuania and in the districts and municipalities of Marijampole county. The data were presented up to January 1, 2009. The areas of private farm lands are distributed unevenly in counties and depend upon the number of rural inhabitants. The largest area is in Siauliai county, i.e. 95 232 ha, the smallest one is in Alytus County - 39 216 ha. The largest number of private farm land users is in Kaunas and Vilnius counties. The average size of private farmland plots in our country is 2.17 ha and the smallest one (1.95-1.96) is in Kaunas and Vilnius counties and the largest is in Utena county - 2.45 ha. In order to freely dispose of the used land, it should be legitimated as private property, therefore, private farm lands were started to be privatised since 1995.