Kazakh president orders ban on foreign ownership of farmland

Kazakhstan, a major producer of grains, oilseeds and meat, is seeking to end a dispute that has prompted protests.

Kazakhstan will permanently ban foreigners from owning or renting farmland in the vast Central Asian nation, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has said, ending a lengthy dispute that once prompted anti-government protests. Kazakhstan is a major producer of grains, oilseeds and meat in the former Soviet region sandwiched between China and Russia. Five years ago its authorities decided to attract foreign investment into agriculture by opening up the farmland market. But, unusually for the tightly controlled nation of 19 million people, the plan was met with street protests where demonstrators expressed concerns that giant neighbour China would eventually snap up all the fields and pastures.