Russia's lower house of parliament legalised the sale and private ownership of agricultural land today for the first time since the 1917 Bolshevik revolution but banned foreigners from purchasing the country's farms.
The vote delivered a strong political boost to President Vladimir Putin who fought the Communist opposition as he lobbied for the measure, which goes a long way to uprooting Russia from its Soviet past.
The State Duma approved the bill in its third and final reading by 258 votes to 149, with five abstentions.
The code must still be voted on in the Federation Council upper house, where approval is seen as automatic, and then signed by Mr Putin.
Bitterly opposed by the Communist Party and their left-wing allies, the law also allows foreigners to lease Russian farmland for up to 49 years but bars them from purchasing it outright.
Pro-government factions in the Duma hailed the outcome of the vote, which they said would deliver a long-needed investment boost to the underdeveloped sector.
But there was disappointment among liberal deputies with some amendments they said diluted the law's effectiveness.
AFP