Ownership and use of farm lands was not just a part of land reform, but its basic and pivotal part, that had always determined not only the destinies of the peasants, but also the political system in Russia, the President said as he opened the meeting.
In his view, a deceleration of land reform was leading to the stalling of the agricultural market and the economy as a whole, and to the thriving of a black market in land, i.e. to the non-bona fide use of a key economic resource.
Another crucial problem in putting farm land to use was, according to the President, wide-ranging conditions in the Russian regions and a diversity of land types. He said these regional differences needed to be taken into account. What is more, the resolution of many land-related issues should be devolved to the regions.