The participants discussed expanding the Hectare program, increasing the affordability and appeal  of land plots in the priority development areas, reads a press release of the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East and Arctic.

Yulia Tishchenko, Head of the Department for the implementation of the Far Eastern and Arctic Hectare program at the Far East and Arctic Development Corporation (FEDC), said the project was being implemented in 11 regions of the Far Eastern Federal District and eight Arctic regions.

“To date, over 165,000 people have received land plots under this program, and the interest for it is growing consistently.  In January to October 2025, we have received as many applications as in 2024 as a whole. We expect the year-end number of applications to increase by 20% year on year. The appeal of the Hectare program is growing due to affordable model solutions for the most popular ways of using land plots, 2% mortgage loans, as well as federal and regional small business support measures. Considering the growing demand for participation in the Hectare program, we working jointly with regional authorities to increase land affordability. It should be said that people prefer land plots located in direct proximity to infrastructure facilities,” Tishchenko said in her address at the conference.

She added that they were working with the regional authorities to remove the so-called grey zones in the most popular territories, and that instructions and a list of the relevant populated areas would be included in the resolution to be adopted at the conference.

Conference participants proposed streamlining the criteria for using land plots by reducing dependence on the type of permitted use, so that people can use these land plots as they want. In addition, the list of conditions for early land acquisition could be considered. As of now, people can only register ownership rights for their land plots before the expiration of the five-year period if they build housing or take out mortgage loans.

Another issue on the conference agenda had to do with the allocation of land plots to large families with children and to veterans of the special military operation. Large families with children in 12 Far Eastern and Arctic regions can choose the mechanism of monetary compensation. In 2025, over 4,000 such families received monetary compensation for improving their housing conditions. The largest number of families that requested this has been reported in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia, 1,800) and the Khabarovsk Territory (1,400). The Murmansk Region shared its practice of creating a specialized support agency for participants in the special military operation and their families that apply for land plots. The support measures include consultations to veterans and help in choosing land plots and preparing the necessary documents.

Yevgenia Romashko, managing director of the Far East and Arctic Development Corporation, briefed the conference participants on the practice of allocating land plots to the residents of priority development areas. She pointed out that a simplified procedure for receiving land plots is a key factor for investors.

The corporation transfers land plots into the relevant category for the successful achievement of this goal. The type of permitted land use depends on the development plan documents for the territories developed by the corporation or investors. A withdrawal procedure is applied in the case of third party rights to land plots that are especially important for the economic development of the given region.

“Over the past three years, we have transferred nearly 2,000 hectares into the targeted categories. This systematic work, which includes cooperation with the federal and regional authorities, allows creating conditions for the implementation of large-scale investment projects in the Far East and the Arctic,” Yevgenia Romashko said.