Interfax | 18 April 2011

Ukraine's opposition forces are planning to call a referendum on the issue of lifting the ban on the sale of farmland.

"Today, at a conciliatory council of the opposition we have decided to start collecting signatures for a referendum to launch a public discussion on the expediency and lawfulness of the privatization of farmland," leader of the Batkivschyna Party Yulia Tymoshenko told journalists in Kyiv on Monday.

According to her, the opposition believes that "the privatization of farmland in the execution of an order of the incumbent president and his entourage is a large-scale scam, which will deprive Ukraine of a great part of its land."

Tymoshenko said that the government intentionally brought agricultural enterprises to bankruptcy prior to the privatization of farmland.

"We believe that the situation is jeopardizing the national interests," the politician said.

According to her, this privatization will lead to the situation when several families will distribute the land amongst themselves, and earn billions.