The Russian government has finally approved a bill that will allow for the sale of farmland, bringing to an end collective farming that was a feature of the communist era.

The move is a concession to those who believe that the agricultural sector should be liberalised as part of market reforms. However, conservative elements fear that the move could deprive most of those that work on the land and the bill is certain to meet fierce debate in the lower house of parliament, the State Duma, where it must now be sent for review.

The fate of farmland has been one of the most sensitive debates in post-Soviet Russia, with parliament repeatedly resisting efforts to put into effect a clause in the 1993 constitution that allowed for land sales.