SABOR ON CRITERIA FOR PRIVATISATION OF STATE-OWNED FARMING LAND

ZAGREB, Jan 17 (Hina) - Croatian MPs disagreed over criteria for the privatisation of 1.1 million hectares of state-owned farming land on Thursday - deputies from the ruling coalition consider the criteria well-defined and elaborate while opposition deputies believe they are superficial and unacceptable if not amended. Criteria for the management of state-owned land are elaborate and clear, said Ljubica Lalic of the Croatian People's Party (HSS), adding they provided an opportunity for small family farms to enlarge (their average size is 2.9 hectares). A Croatian Social Liberal (HSLS), Marko Baricevic, shares this view. Dino Debeljuh of the Istrian Democratic Assembly (IDS) believes the proposed criteria are too superficial for the serious job of land privatisation. Debeljuh objected that the Agriculture Ministry had not taken into consideration deputies' proposals, such as the one on giving advantage to those who produce healthy food. Drago Krpina of the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) slammed the criteria, claiming Croatia lacked a defined strategy of farming land management, and that the government and the Agriculture Ministry treated the adoption of the criteria as a formality. According to the criteria, which should regulate the privatisation of one third of farming land, physical and legal persons in the farming business in grain-growing counties could buy a maximum of 150 hectares of land, in central and northern counties 100 hectares, and in southern counties 50 hectares. The parliament resumes its session on Friday. (hina) rml ,