The land was accurately divided according to the topographic and geodesic maps. The first 24 farmers from the village of Yasnozirya were handed state documents giving the right to private property in land personally by President Leonid Kuchma.
The solemnities were dedicated to the 140th anniversary of r eburying Taras Shevchenko’s body at the Chernecha (Monk’s) Hill in Kaniv were held in Cherkasy oblast. President Kuchma visited Cherkasy oblast. In his speech to Yasnozirya agricultural workers he said, “I am glad that the primordial dream of Kobzar comes true and his fellow countrymen finally receive their land and freedom. The country is gradually but steadily coming to understand that every piece of land must have its specific proprietor. Our peasants have always had to bow and scrape. I remember my mother, who raised three children alone after the war, had to ask the brigade leader or somebody else to plow her garden, help her transport the grain, etc. Today every compatriot, especially merited ones, must be protected from such humiliation. And it is private land property which is to guarantee this.”
To confirm his words, the president delivered state deeds to private property in land to the most respected plowmen of Yasnozirya: Hero of Socialist Labor and former milkmaid Nadiya Osnihovska, three-time Orders of Labor Glory recipient Hanna Taranenko, Order of Lenin bearers Mariya Yanovych and Andriy Shapoval, State Prize recipient Mykhailo Ponomar et. al. (in toto twenty-four documents were distributed).
According to the president, last year for the first time in the decade of independence the Ukrainian agriculture showed positive results. However, to give a process of its reform more dynamism and finally create market organizational and legal structures, it is necessary for the legislative and executive branches as well as local leaders to work harder.
Commenting to The Day, head of Yasnozirya Collective Agricultural Enterprise Yuri PONOMAR said, “It really was the primordial dream of our grandfathers and great-grandfathers to have land of their own. Truly, Shevchenko wrote fine verses on this theme. But we who live now do not have a right to sit idle. In fact, only twenty-four people have received state guarantees for their right to private property in land. But soon all our compatriots will have this right. And we will do everything we can to make this process as short as possible. Our community is among the five best in our region. Last year we got an income of 900,000 hryvnias. We continue to intensify our animal husbandry: now we have 1,800 cattle and are to have 2,000 by the end of the year. We had a good harvest. This year we plan to increase our achievements in this field also. Today I promised to the President in public that we will harvest 45 centners of grain [per hectare]. All this forms a basis for our confidence. We are not afraid that by distributing land we will loose people with their allotments. Nobody wants to leave an economically strong farm. We believe in Yasnozirya’s bright star, and even more in our people. ”
