By holding online auctions for land leases, the government will force large agro businesses to pay “five times” more in rent

By holding online auctions for land leases, the government will force large agro businesses to pay “five times” more in rent, President Poroshenko promised Monday. Appealing to rural voters prior to Sunday’s election, Poroshenko said state land leased through electronic auctions now fetches double the rents paid for adjoining privately owned land. He also called for fixing Soviet-era irrigation systems, which now only delivery water to one-third of the 2 million hectares covered.