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NEBELYTSIA, Ukraine (AP) — Most of Ukraine's rich farmland is carved up into small plots owned by about 7 million people, who own the land but can't sell it.
Ukraine, which is one of the top grain exporters in the world and recently overtook the U.S. as the leading exporter of corn to China, forbids the sale of agricultural land.
This seems about to change. Ukraine's new president wants to open the land market, a step long pushed by economists and international financial institutions to stimulate investment in an agricultural sector with much untapped potential.
Not everyone is happy, though. The government's plans are stirring fears that Ukraine's coveted black earth will be bought up by foreigners, including Russians.
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