MPs of the Legislative Chamber passed in first reading a bill providing for accountability for interfering in activities of farmers and businesses by officials on October 7, the press service of the lower house of parliament said.
According to the MP Mukaddashon Akhmedova, farmers regularly complain about difficulties selling their produce. The bill proposes liability for interference in economic activity, including obstructing the free movement and sale of goods and services.
To this end, it the bill has proposed to amend Article 241-1 of the Administrative Liability Code (Violation of private property rights) and Article 192-1 of the Criminal Code, which provides for harsher penalties for repeat violations following an administrative penalty.
Once the new regulations take effect, officials will be held accountable for interfering in the selection of products, pricing, and sales of farmers and entrepreneurs.
Businesses previously reported that, on verbal orders from governors and mayors, road patrol posts at provincial borders prohibited the transport of cotton seeds from one province to another. Kattakurgan city mayor and Senator Gavkhar Alimova complained against Kashkadarya province governor Muratjon Azimov, who allegedly ordered restrictions on the export of cotton seeds from Kashkadarya to the Samarkand Province. According to her, the governor failed to reply to her messages, and she spent four days trying to resolve the issue of transporting the cargo.
Land Transfer Rights
Furthermore, the bill proposes changes to the right to transfer of rented land. Current legislation prohibits civil servants from engaging in entrepreneurial activity. This results to legal conflicts when a farmer, upon acceding a civil position, is unable to delegate authority to his or her immediate family.
According to the proposed amendments, farmers will be able to transfer business to a family member for the entire rent validity term.
The bill also proposes the possibility of subrenting a portion of rented plot, which, according to the developers, will expand the opportunities for farmers who are unable to effectively utilize the entire area themselves due to limited resources.
The bill will undergo second and third readings before being sent to the Senate.
