Kazakh president orders ban on foreign ownership of farmland

FILE PHOTO: Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev wearing a protective face mask participates online in the unveiling ceremony of a monument to Nursultan Nazarbayev, the first president of Kazakhstan, in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan July 3, 2020. Kazakh Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS /File Photo

ALMATY (Reuters) - Kazakhstan will permanently ban foreigners from owning or renting farmland in the vast Central Asian nation, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said on Thursday, 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 and five years ago, its authorities decided to attract foreign investment into agriculture by opening up the farmland market.