Far Eastern hectare for what can be used in more detail. "Nobody needs hectares." What turned out to be for the Russians getting the Far Eastern hectare. From mortgages to memes: how they tried to attract Russians to "Hectar"
The ambitious project "Far Eastern Hectare" sums up the first results: the hectares, who took the first plots of land, draw up reporting declarations. "Hectar" was intended to solve the problem of the outflow of people from the Far East - over the past 25 years, according to Vladimir Putin, almost 2 million residents have left it. But instead of the supposed 30 million people, this initiative attracted only 73,000. The Secret of Firmy figured out why even significant benefits did not motivate Russians to take free land in the Far East and what difficulties hectares were faced with.
"Hectare": the rules of the game
The law on the Far Eastern hectare was adopted in 2016 to develop almost a third of the land in this district - more than 170 million hectares. From June 2016, it entered into force for residents of the Far Eastern Federal District, and from February 2017 - for all Russians.
The Far Eastern Hectare program was launched three years ago from pilot regions in the Far East itself. The first to take part in it was one municipal entity in each of (at that time) nine regions of the Far Eastern Federal District. Since October 2016, the second stage of the program has started, when all Far Easterners have the opportunity to register land on the territory of their regions. On February 1, 2017, the program became available to all Russians. Before the adoption of the law in Yakutia, there were a number of protests by local residents who were afraid that hectares would cut off access to the region's natural resources. However, now the Yakuts are in second place in terms of the number of hectares issued in the country.
Soon after the launch of the project in the Far East, three northwestern regions of Russia: Kostroma in 2017, Leningradsky and Vologda in 2018 - introduced their bills on the free distribution of unused land to families (Russian citizens) on the same terms. From August 2019, Buryatia and the Trans-Baikal Territory will join the program; from 2020, a hectare in these regions can be taken by all residents of Russia.
How to get land
A simple application is enough to obtain a hectare. Then, during the first year, the hectarer needs to decide on the type of use of the site, after three years - to declare the development progress, moreover, there are no clear development criteria at the moment. After five years of use, the site can be obtained into ownership or a long-term lease - 49 years.
* Data from the Agency for the Development of Human Capital in the Far East.
From mortgages to memes: how they tried to attract Russians to "Hectar"
The requirements for hectares are becoming softer every year: now these are not only Russians. On March 28, 2019, a law came into force that allows participants in the program for the voluntary resettlement of compatriots living abroad to receive a hectare in the Russian Federation. The same act allowed the Russians to register the Far Eastern hectares in ownership ahead of schedule when building a house.
In September 2018, the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East planned to amend the law on hectares, according to which a person, after successful land development, can claim the next piece of land of the same size. On June 26, Yuri Trutnev, the authorized representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the Far Eastern Federal District, said that the owners of the Far Eastern hectares would soon be able to use a preferential mortgage at 2% per annum for the construction of a house for 20 years. The document is still under development. It is also proposed to reduce the buffer zone in the Primorsky Territory: it is planned to give out land 10 km from Vladivostok instead of the previous 20 km and to "open" the "buffer" of Nakhodka for a hectare.
To draw attention to "Hectar" in different years, they used advertising, memes (for example, to popularize the program in Khabarovsk, video clip about the piglet Peter) and images of celebrities. So, about his intention to take a hectare was announced by the fighter of mixed martial arts (MMA), now the deputy of the city council of Krasnogorsk Jeff Monson, who received Russian citizenship. Also, the authorities of Primorye reported that Steven Seagal will take part in the filming of a new TV project of the Russia 1 channel, dedicated to Hectar. This was later denied by both the actor and the channel itself.
The project website reports on 35 measures to help people who take a Far Eastern hectare (grants, microloans, loans). They also offer "ready-made" business plans for hectares with a specific purpose of the land. Many of them are attracted by the amounts of initial investment that are incomprehensible at first glance: for example, according to the site, it is necessary to spend "7180 thousand rubles" for organizing the collection of wild plants, and "5718 thousand rubles" for the creation of a car service.
“Yes, it seems that for wild plants nothing is needed, except for the container itself, where to collect them, but you must not forget that you must understand how you get to your wild plants, how is the infrastructure on this site, how is the road going and how you will take out these wild plants, ”says one of the hectares, Daria Pozdnyakova.
All by yourself
A resident of the Kamchatka Territory Daria Pozdnyakova took two hectares in 2017 with her husband. Later, another hectare was added to this land from my sister, who moved to St. Petersburg. Daria took the land for her old hobby, which became a business, for an equestrian tourist club.
“Now we have 12 horses, seven dogs and three hectares,” says the girl. By the time the program was launched, the issue of placing animals became acute: the family moved from one rented site to another, and the animals suffered from this. When they were choosing the land, Daria and her husband went to the hectare themselves, inspected the site. They took it only from the second or third time: refusals came, since during the inspections it turned out that the land was already owned.
“In the Far East, even within one kilometer, the landscape can change, from a swamp to a hill there can be a distance of 400–500 m,” says Daria. "We specially went to our hectare in bad weather to see how the soil reacts, how windy it is." She says that now there is not enough land for grazing horses and the family of hectares is planning to rent additional areas.
Investments in business on free land amounted to 4 million rubles, part of which was borrowed funds, part of it was an ordinary bank loan (to drill a well for water). Daria and her husband did not receive any benefits. But they entered into an agreement with the Kamchatka RAO for the supply of electricity, which, according to the subsidy, will cost them 50,000 rubles instead of 2.5 million rubles. Dumping the road, cleaning it, equipping septic tanks, building them themselves and at their own expense.
Zinnur Zinnatullin
Lawyer of the company "Knyazev and Partners", specialist in land law
Hectares do not have legal mechanisms to push for the creation of infrastructure. Funds for this are allocated according to state programs from the budget and only if some rural settlement has been formed, and not if you have a plot in a forest or field.
The hectares have not yet reached the break-even point. Daria says that the timing of the start of making a profit depends on which path of business development the family will eventually take: whether it will be guest houses or just horse tourism. Now income is highly dependent on the weather, and on the season, and on the number of tourist groups. For example, in summer the tourist season is in full swing, but in 2019 it rained throughout June and there were practically no tourists. Income, respectively, too.
More profitable together
Mikhail Utrobin has one of the most beautiful success stories associated with the Far Eastern Hectare project. From the top manager of the Far East department of the Sportmaster chain of stores, he turned into a modern exemplary farmer. He took a hectare in a convenient location - 50 km from Khabarovsk. Therefore, there was no need to spend money on infrastructure - roads, electricity from scratch. Mikhail won a grant for farmers, and since 2017 he has managed to create his own brand of dairy products, Morning at the Farm. The Utrobins have no other sources of income, except for a hectare.
Since December last year, it has gone into a plus (it took a year and two months since the start of the business). The farmer sells products by subscription via Instagram, bypassing all retail chains. To solve the land shortage problem, Utrobin plans to create a cooperative, inviting friendly farmers and other entrepreneurs. This, in his opinion, is a much more profitable solution than developing a hectare alone.
Back in 2017, Yuri Trutnev also recognized the single acquisition of hectares as unprofitable, calling it the most economically justified design by a team of 20 people or more.
Mikhail said that he is a member of the public organization "We are hectares" and every week he receives three or four requests from people who would like to take free land. For paying for gasoline, he is ready to help hectares to check whether it is worth choosing the hectares that they planned, looking at the map online. Mikhail goes to the specified hectare, looks at the condition of the roads and land and informs the potential hectarer.
According to Utrobin, most of the calls come about the supply of light and water, but here a hectare is powerless. He advises future applicants for land to first decide on the type of activity (although according to the law this can be done a year after a hectare is taken) and unite in an agglomeration, since individual appeals to officials are ineffective, but so far he does not see examples of such associations among hectares ...
However, the Human Capital Development Agency reported that money is being allocated for infrastructure. True, not in all regions: in the Khabarovsk Territory - 319 million rubles. and the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) - 82.1 million rubles. The planned completion date for work under the contracts is 2019.
The agency said that it is considering the possibility of providing infrastructure facilities for 25 priority agglomerations (more than 4169 compactly located land plots with an area of 6222 hectares) in the subjects of the Far Eastern Federal District - 230.5 km (181.7 km of roads, 48.8 km of power lines). The amount of financing will be 4.7 billion rubles.
Successful project with recognizance not to leave
Three years ago Sergey Kurechko created a wine-making farm on the Far Eastern hectare. Telling the background of his land development, he mentions that he received a hectare only a year and a half after submitting the application after "all sorts of approvals and adjustments."
“In 2016, the regional land committee was also engaged in the issue of hectares. They forgot about us and lost our documents, they made fun of us as best they could with hunting grounds, ”recalls Kurechko (hunting grounds do not fall under the hectare law, but only those protected by the owners who submitted an application about it).
According to Kurechko, within the framework of the project, he did not receive any benefits or subsidies. “The peasant is on the ground, and he has no time to run around the offices for hundreds of kilometers. In addition, the attitude of officials responsible for the economic and social development of the territory discourages any desire to meet with them. None of them asked: "How can I help you?" They have different priorities: “Did you get permission? Have you paid the tax? "" - he said.
Later, two more hectares were added to the main site, taken by relatives. On one of them, Kurechko is creating a garden and a vineyard, the other plans to arrange a theme park for guests. Since the opening, hundreds of tourists have visited the farm every week. Local authorities called it "an interesting and sought-after vacation destination." Two years later, Kurechko was accused of running a business without a license to produce alcohol. One of the most successful hectares in the eyes of the media and the authorities became accused under the article on illegal business. Kurechko himself believes that he was accused because of the conflict with the local authorities.
According to the wine farmer, he is now in correspondence with Rosalkogolregulirovanie to clarify the requirements for obtaining a license, in the absence of which he is accused. “We knew before that it was too early for us to apply for a permit. Everything depends on the presence of a fruitful vineyard. We are still working on this. Grapes do not grow in a year. " This is a prerequisite for obtaining a wine-making license, and now Kurechko produces wines from local wild plants.
Kurechko hopes that the Duma will consider the proposals of winemakers to simplify the turnover of wine products. At the moment, the process of obtaining a license for winemaking in Russia is one of the most difficult in the world. Now the farmer is creating a vineyard and building a facility for a winery. According to him, his passion for winemaking has not yet turned into a business and does not bring profit, despite the presence of guest houses on the site and conducting excursions.
Evaluating the initiative to issue a hectare, even successful project participants (Utrobin, Pozdnyakova, Kurechko) agree that most people take it unconsciously, without understanding whether they can live and work on this land.
“I think this is a good help for those who already live in the Far East, although there are many dissatisfied people,” says Daria Pozdnyakova. She refused to communicate with almost all hectares and applicants for a hectare, as the people who wrote to her repeatedly accused the girl that everything was seized, bought and she came to “everything ready”.
Sergey Kurechko
Winery owner
People who want to buy a hectare write to me, and in their messages there is a desire to work on the land and a complete lack of understanding of the realities. The townspeople see life on a hectare as a trip to the supermarket: you come - you buy. Things are different on earth. Here you have to learn to live from scratch. The life support of the family, the income part - these are not idle questions. You can spend some time in the clearing, but nothing will appear on its own. I think that "DV-Hectar" is still a good tool, and, oddly enough, it lacks the PR, which was at first. There is a feeling that the initiative is being forgotten. I am not deprived of the attention of journalists, but I see how little attention is paid to this. My hectare is located in an agglomeration of one thousand hectares, but most of the hectares simply pointed their fingers at the sky, taking plots there. October 1 will already be three years since the receipt of the hectare, and there is no progress in terms of infrastructure in the agglomeration.
Far East tourism
But there are those who are only helped by the lack of infrastructure. Narek Hovhannisyan took his hectares to organize "wild" tourism. One of the hectares, which is an island, he plans to use as a venue for the "Robinsonade", on other hectares - to conduct entertainment quests. The cost of such a vacation will not exceed 30,000 rubles - this amount, according to the hectarer, is ready to spend a vacationing Russian, taking into account the road to the Far East. Narek, who does a lot of work with China, says ecotourism is especially in demand among people in China and Japan, where there are environmental problems. But even among Russians, there is a demand for such entertainment: since the launch of the project's website, more than 3,000 applications have been received. The first tourists will visit the island in August.
According to Narek, he did not ask the authorities for money to develop a hectare - both because he practically does not need infrastructure, and because he himself wants to invest in the Far East. In the public organization "We are hectares", Narek and his partners organized a committee for the development of tourism in the Far East, more than a hundred hectares of people became interested in his tourism initiative. They are also ready to provide their hectare for quests.
According to Hovhannisyan, the program is beneficial specifically for tourism activities, since it does not require any expenses: for example, a camping can be organized for 100,000 rubles. According to the hectarer, the project is able to draw the attention of Russians to the Far East, but later: people should see the results and examples of how a hectare began to bring real profit to its owners.
Success stories in the future tense
On the website of the project "To the Far East. Russia" there is a section "Success stories", but in most of these stories there are future projects: "Vladimir will build a farm", "Svetlana plans to open a farm."
It was not possible to find out any information about some projects, which were reported in the media as successful. Also, the media projects about Hectar were not crowned with success: journalist, creator of the Takie Dela media Mitya Aleshkovsky, founder of the eco-shop LavkaLavka, together with Lentach, launched a series on YouTube, where they told how the Far East hectare is being developed in the Jewish Autonomous Region. But after the end of the first season of the series, Aleshkovsky wrote on Facebook that a sponsor for the second season of the series about a hectare was not found, and did not address this topic again. Aleshkovsky and Akimov did not answer the questions of the journalist of "Sekret Firmy".
So, for example, nothing is known about the construction of the only Russian farm for growing shiitake mushrooms, its owner also does not inform about the development of the project and does not get in touch. It was not possible to contact him with the help of the Agency for the Development of Human Capital in the Far East. It is difficult to find information about the winners of the competition for the best project for the development of a hectare. One of them is a Japanese-style tourist base. Booking.com reports that it costs 63,000 per night to rent a room, but the hostel is currently unavailable for rent.
According to the author of the project, Yulia Yanina, it was not possible to open a tourist base for visitors in 2017. Now the construction is finished, but everything depends on the lack of electricity. The base runs on a diesel generator, which, firstly, costs the owners of a tourist hectare in hundreds of thousands of rubles, and secondly, with its noise it will scare off any tourist, especially one who came to the base to stay in silence.
“We wanted the only support measure from the state - to help us with electricity. The Russian Railways company, which is engaged in this, included us in the program in 2017; at the beginning of 2018, according to them, the entire budget had already been distributed. They promised to connect us in 2019, but nothing happened in six months, ”says Yulia.
She does not believe in the prospects of the Far Eastern Hectare project. According to her, "nobody needs hectares." For example, for winning the "Star of the Far East" competition with the best project for the development of a hectare, Yulia received only a framed diploma.
Vladimir Stolyarov, who is building a domed house on his hectare, has also repeatedly appeared on the pages of the media and jokes that journalists turn to him much more often than investors. So far, there is only a residential building on the site, but a full-fledged farm has not been launched: there is no electricity. Vladimir says that this year, after the amendments were made to the law, electricity supply became cheaper: instead of 2 million, only 20,000 need to be paid. However, the electricity promised from the Far Eastern Distribution Grid Company JSC is still not available.
According to Stolyarov, none of his acquaintances hectares were able to deal with the infrastructure. But the farmer is not inclined to criticize the DV-hectare project.
From February 1, any citizen of Russia can receive one hectare of land in the Far East for free use from the state. You can dispose of your site as you like.
The interest from the Russians is quite high. In the last two days alone, more than 200 thousand people have visited the profile site. How to become a landowner and what does it give?
1. Why only in the Far East?
The answer is simple. The population has only been leaving in recent years. Therefore, the authorities are distributing free hectares per person, just to reverse this unpleasant trend. Moreover, the Chinese problem in the Far East is growing every year.
Despite the fact that the Far East occupies a third of the area of our country, only 5% of the population lives in this territory. They have developed 0.3% of the entire land. But there is still a good 25%, quite livable. This is more than 150 million hectares. That is, in an amicable way, every Russian can become a landowner. If he wants, of course.
Finally, the government is considering the idea of distributing land to Russians in other regions as well. And the Far East is a pilot project. If the experience is recognized as successful, then in the future it will be possible to get a hectare closer to the center of the country.
2. What can you do there?
Build a dream house, plant a tree. Yes, even put up a hut and come on vacation. In a word - whatever your heart desires. The only condition is that within 5 years it is imperative to start developing the site.
If you want your own business, you can use a ready-made business model, they were specially developed by the Ministry of Development of the Far East. There are schemes for the opening of fishing and hunting farms, apiaries, farms, tourist resorts. At the same time, they also promise state support. Your idea can be put up for competition so that the state would help financially with its implementation.
3. How to choose a site?
To do this, you must first go to the profile site (see "Useful link"). You can apply if you have a personal account on the "Gosuslugi" portal. Then select the desired region and a specific site on the map (within 1 hectare). And submit an online application. So that it doesn't turn out that you have arrived, and there is someone's house. If everything is clear - green light. No - they will offer to choose another option. You don't have to go anywhere. But experts advise you to look at everything on the ground - and only then stake out this or that territory for yourself.
It is necessary to take into account the peculiarities of the region. As a result of the pilot program, when only Far Easterners who were familiar with the specifics of the regions participated, in the Jewish Autonomy, land was most often taken for beekeeping and gardening. The Primorsky Territory was in great demand for hunters and fishermen. The Amur Region attracted representatives of the hotel and tourism business.
That is, it is logical to choose a site, already knowing what you want to do.
4. Who can register a hectare?
Adult, child, unemployed - anyone. The main thing is Russian citizenship. Parents can apply for children. You can register only one site for yourself. But it is not forbidden for each family member to have a hectare.
A group of like-minded people can register neighboring plots separately and unite in a cooperative. Then it will be easier to negotiate with the authorities about the wiring of electricity, for example. But only if there are at least 20 “communards”, and their “commune” is located no further than 20 km from the nearest settlement.
5. Is it definitely free?
It's hard to believe in such an attraction of unprecedented generosity, but yes - everything is free. Even soil or water analysis. And no money for registration. But all good things come to an end. You have five years. During this time, you need to master the site, otherwise it will be taken away from you. If everything worked out, then in five years the land should be registered as property.
If you want to mortgage this land plot with a bank, transfer it to sublease, then you will not be able to do this in the first 5 years. In addition, it cannot be sold or leased to foreigners.
But on the other hand, you do not pay the land tax in the first five years, until you register the ownership.
Where and how you can grab a piece of the Far East:
PIONEERS
First land recipients:
We took three hectares by the road - in the summer we will start building a house
In the specialized center "Far Eastern Hectare" in Khabarovsk, there is no excitement. The locals who wanted to get a hectare had enough time. And non-local people are leaving online applications for now. The geography is wide: Moscow and St. Petersburg, Crimea, Irkutsk region, Dagestan, Rostov-on-Don, Saratov. For the first day - more than 600 applicants. Their applications have just begun to be considered.
But many local residents have already received their plots. Dinara Tomarova, together with her husband and daughter, designed three hectares 20 kilometers from Khabarovsk. We chose neighboring plots. They are in the field, which is a plus - no need to uproot trees. Near the road, power lines. The spouses are hoping for their strength, but loans for the development of the land will apparently have to be taken. They are planning to build a house for the summer - while the apartment is being rented.
The Far Eastern hectare is a great idea, says Dinara's husband Alexander. - I come from a village, we will be engaged in agriculture: growing potatoes and other vegetables, raising livestock - for ourselves and for profit.
Vlad SEREBRENNIKOV ("KP" - Khabarovsk ")
RESPONSES ON THE SITE
"The Earth is a Heavy Burden"
Guest, Kursk:
Why should a person, who, for example, in the Kursk region, receive a salary of 10 thousand rubles, put it on at the end of the world, if he is not even able to fly there, since a one-way ticket is much more expensive?
Bogdan, Pyatigorsk:
I would like to warn those who build illusions. Dear ones, if you have never worked on the land, if you have never been engaged in cattle breeding and poultry farming, you will face great difficulties and bitter disappointments. It's not for you to keep a hamster or a parrot at home. If you are drawn to the romance of rural life, try to start at home "pull" at least 10 acres of potatoes, spud it, treat the Colorado potato beetle and dig it up. And then find where to store it all. But I wish you good luck with all my heart!
Bekkhan, Khabarovsk:
Before inviting people from other regions of the country, create living conditions for those who already live there. People are fleeing from the Far East.
QUESTION OF THE DAY
Where would you like to get a free hectare?
Eduard KARPENKOV, farmer, Krasnodar region:
In his native Leningrad region. But we have a lot of farmers, and there is not enough free land. Most of it belongs to large holdings. According to statistics, the agrarians own only 30% of the land available here for agricultural purposes.
Alexander LAZUTKIN, pilot-cosmonaut, Hero of Russia:
On the seashore or in the suburbs. I would build a greenhouse, grow cucumbers, tomatoes and even pineapples. And why are they only distributing land in the Far East? Distribute all over Russia - enough is enough for everyone.
Sergey DARKIN, ex-governor of Primorsky Krai, businessman:
In our Vladivostok taiga. We will breed wild animals. There are deer, roe deer, and wild boars here. For hunting.
And there are tigers too - I saw traces today!
Yuri LOZA, musician, columnist:
In the Canary Islands. Is free! I would not go into agriculture, what kind of farmer am I? I am for resale!
Irina KHAKAMADA, politician:
It is irrational to take in the Far East, how am I going to look after the land while in Moscow?
Mikhail SHLYAPNIKOV, farmer, blogger:
I would not like to receive a free hectare anywhere. The earth is a big responsibility. And you need to understand why land is needed. After all, the main thing is to work on it.
Gennady VETROV, humorist:
I'm not used to our government giving away something for free. I'm afraid of a catch. They will also tax a hectare. I would take a couple of hundred parts. And I would have staked out a plot in Moscow. On Skhodnya ...
Christina, listener Radio Komsomolskaya Pravda (97.2 FM):
Small plot in Italy. A small villa ... But I could not live there permanently, love for the Motherland is stronger!
Vladimir MERENKOV, reader of the KP.RU website:
I looked at the site nadalniyvostok.rf - the choice is large. I will not rush ... Until January 1, 2035, I will decide!
The government is allocating tens of billions of rubles for the development of the Far East, including under the Far Eastern Hectare program. But there are very few people willing to come and start a business here. Leasing land to the Chinese is also not an option. As a result, the outflow of the population to the "mainland" continues, the region becomes empty.
Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on Monday, May 6, ordered to allocate an additional 1 billion rubles to support agribusiness in the Far East. Eleven Far Eastern regions will receive this money within three years. This year - 360.3 million rubles, next - 338.1 million and another 370.2 million - in 2021.
Officials allocate these funds within the framework of the federal project "Creation of a support system for farmers and the development of rural cooperation" and the national project "Small and medium-sized businesses and support for individual entrepreneurial initiative."
A billion is not much. Moreover, when it comes to regional distribution. For example, the Kamchatka Territory will receive 39.8 million rubles this year, Primorye - 96.5 million rubles, is specified on the official website of the Agency for the Development of Human Capital in the Far East (it is a structure of the Ministry for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic - "Gazeta.Ru" ).
Most of the money will be given to the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) - 287.2 million rubles. And the Magadan region, for example, will have only 26.5 million rubles.
But in reality, a billion is only a small part of the truly gigantic infusions into the Far East region, directed from the federal cent.
According to the Ministry of Finance, from the state budget for 2019 and the period until 2020-2022. it is planned to allocate 123 billion rubles for the development of the Far Eastern Federal District. Of these, 45.3 billion this year.
A significant part of these funds is in one way or another connected with the implementation of the program for the revival of the Far East, the transformation of this region into a territory of advanced development and the reversal of the trend for the outflow of the population from the outskirts of the empire to the “mainland”.
Free of charge, that is, for free
Under this idea, three years ago, at the suggestion of Plenipotentiary Envoy Yuri Trutnev, the President approved, among other initiatives, the program of the "Far Eastern hectare". According to the law, land within 1 hectare is provided for 5 years on the basis of a gratuitous use agreement. After the expiration of a five-year period, the developed hectare can be issued into ownership or a long-term lease.
At first, a hectare was given only to local people, and at the same time there was a small amount of "lifting" for moving and settling on the spot. There were almost no people willing to relocate, and the DV-hectare program was liberalized as much as possible. And they added monetary incentives. Including subsidies and soft loans for starting a business, for the purchase of building materials for housing construction. The settlers are given grants "Beginner Farmer", "Agrostartup", etc. Compensations are paid for the purchase of agricultural machinery, equipment, mobile shopping facilities.
Nevertheless, the program stalled for the second year after the start in 2016. The Russians do not even want to take subsidies. “From the beginning of the program implementation (until January 2019), about 1.8 thousand recipients of“ Far Eastern hectares ”in the amount of RUB 523 million have benefited from state support measures,” the Human Capital Development Agency told Gazeta.Ru.
Now for the free distribution of land to people, about 188 million hectares have been cut. But since the beginning of the program, only 67,803 citizens of the Russian Federation have used it.
There are 5.4 thousand applications under consideration by the department, according to which a positive decision was made on the provision of land.
Lobster business plan
In total, the Far East hectare turned out to be in demand for 73 thousand Russians.
The largest number of applications for the "Far Eastern hectare" came from the Far Easterners themselves - 83%.
“Among residents of the non-Far Eastern regions, a free hectare is most popular among Muscovites and residents of the Moscow region. Every fourth application from the total number of recipients of “hectares” from the non-Far Eastern regions comes from them, ”the agency said.
Moreover, some of them are the new owners of a hectare, having taken the land, until they decided what they would do with it.
There are not so many options for starting a business. Build a greenhouse for growing vegetables or strawberries, plant soybeans. Plenipotentiary Envoy Yuri Trutnev himself previously said in an interview with Gazeta.Ru that he would gladly undertake to grow aquaculture (scallops, lobsters, fish), if it was compatible with the civil service.
Another common business idea is to open a travel company. But there's a problem. And this is not money, but the archaic nature of the current legislation.
“I believe that the interest in it (in the Far Eastern hectare) from potential recipients has decreased. For all the time in Magadan, about 160 contracts for the provision of land have been concluded, "MagadanMedia quotes the deputy chairman of the Magadan City Duma, Viktor Barinov.
According to him, most of the land plots are used "not for the creation of a new business, but for the needs of housing construction." That is, some of the newcomers are ready to build a house here and live off the subsidiary farm. Only about half (46%) of the participants in the "Far Eastern Hectare" program plan to use the received land for various types of entrepreneurial activities.
According to the city official, the reason for the low interest in the Far Eastern hectare is that the needs of the Kolyma residents do not correspond to the possibilities of using land plots. Not everyone wants to work on the land, to be engaged in agriculture. About 11% of contracts with migrants were concluded for the engagement in "tourist and recreational activities."
The Magadan region could become a center of tourism, no less popular than Kamchatka with its volcanoes and hot springs, Barinov said. But for this, it is necessary to change the legislation so that it is possible to obtain species plots on the banks of reservoirs. But it is precisely such plots - on the banks of rivers or lakes, which are the resource most demanded by the tourist industry - that cannot be registered as property under Russian law.
A real estate object created on a leased plot cannot be insured, and, as a result, it is impossible to take a loan for it for the development of the enterprise. As a result, tourism is not developing.
To be afraid of the Chinese, do not go to the forest
Now in the Far East, a resonant idea is being discussed - to lease to foreign farmers up to a million hectares of agricultural land in the region.
Far Eastern lands could be open to foreign investors, and in Russia they rely mainly on demand from the Chinese.
Chinese citizens could grow soybeans, wheat and potatoes here. But opponents of this idea make a classic argument: it is dangerous to let the Chinese on Russian soil. They will exploit the land predatory and create an ecological problem.
The authorities do not support the idea of renting a hectare for foreigners.
“Only Russians can get the“ Far Eastern hectare ”in property. The law on the "Far Eastern hectare" excludes the possibility of obtaining ownership of land plots by foreign citizens. The assignment of the “Far Eastern hectare” to foreigners is also impossible, ”the Human Capital Development Agency explained to Gazeta.Ru.
Up to five years, the site is in a free lease, but even after a five-year period of land development, when the site becomes property, its sale to foreigners or stateless persons, foreign legal entities is prohibited by law. It is impossible to allocate a hectare to those legal entities, in the authorized (share) capital of which there is a share of a foreign state, international organization, foreign citizens, foreign legal entities.
At the same time, the ultimate goal of all federal programs deployed in the Far East is to create favorable and comfortable conditions for citizens, the Agency notes.
The Russians are fleeing from the Far East, but the Chinese are not given land. As a result, the Far East is emptying. The agency, called upon to develop human capital, simply fixes a well-known problem: "It has not yet been possible to stop the outflow of the population from the Far Eastern District, despite the efforts being made."
“The decisions have been made, but there is still an outflow. The figures are different for different regions, we have not been able to finally reverse this trend, and this worries us very much, ”the prime minister said.
At the end of 2017, the number of people who left the Far Eastern Federal District within the old borders (excluding Buryatia and Transbaikalia) amounted to 16 thousand people, in 2018 - even more, 22 thousand people. This is a lot for an 8-million-strong district.