23 July
The Vacant, Fallow and Virgin Lands Management Committee held its 28th meeting on Tuesday and decided to revoke 16,450 acres of farmland which have not been untilized since they were permitted four years ago.
The action is taken in accordance with Section 22 of the Vacant, Fallow and Virgin Land Management Law-2012. Therefore, the number of farmlands which have been confiscated by the committee for non-compliance with the terms and stipulations of the law has reached 1.567,619 acres nationwide so far.
The decision comes after the Joint Public Account Committee and special inspection teams looked into 2,342,600 acres of land permitted by the committee previously.
The Vacant, Fallow and Virgin Land Management Law says, “A person who is granted the right to use the vacant, fallow and virgin lands shall comply with the following conditions: The enterprise shall carry out to be completed within four years from the date of grant according to the purpose granted. The prescribed period may be revised by the Central Committee for losing time due to natural disasters and unstable security conditions.”
Meanwhile, every citizen has rights to apply for land use and they need to use the land efficiently in accordance with the law to be granted with land use permissions.
The purpose of the land use policy is to help those who want to use land in accordance with the law to ensure the development of the country’s economy and for the livelihood of individuals.
Section 39 of the Vacant, Fallow and Virgin Lands Management bylaw has designated land tax exemption periods for various businesses on different types of land. The committee has instructed the authorities to impose fines for late payments or evasion, and asked those who haven’t paid yet to do so urgently.
Statistics compiled in 2018 shows that there are over 47 million acres of vacant, fallow, and virgin lands in Myanmar. It is necessary to ensure that agriculture, livestock breeding, minerals production, and other lawful businesses utilize the land effectively, in accordance with the bylaw of the Vacant, Fallow and Virgin Lands Management Law, for the economic development of the State and to create job opportunities for locals and landless citizens.
Hence, all citizens are obliged to abide by the law as the authorities on their part are committed to managing the land effectively for the country’s economy.
GNLM
