MURMANSK, July 22. /TASS/. The Murmansk Region’s 5.04% of the territory, 731,200 hectares, will be available for applicants under the Far Eastern Hectare program, which now continues also in the Russian Arctic zone, Deputy Governor Olga Kuznetsova said.

This is the biggest territory, offered by an Arctic region, participating in the program.

Most land plots, 614.2 hectares, are the forest fund areas, and 76.5 hectares are the federal property.

"Jointly with Karelia, under the Far Eastern Hectare program, extended for the Arctic zone, we have offered the biggest areas, while other regions have allocated less than 1% of their territories," the deputy governor said. "We offer more than 5%, namely more than 731,000 hectares."

The Murmansk Region will launch the program from August 1, 2021. Within first six months, only the locals will be able to apply for a land plot of not more than 1 hectare. Later on, any Russian resident will be invited to apply for land. Within the first year of using the land, applicants must decide on how they will use the plot and three years later they will have to declare how the plot will be used. By the end of five years, people will be able to formalize ownership or a long-term rent.

In June, the State Duma (parliament’s lower house) adopted a governmental bill, which extends the Far Eastern Hectare program for the Arctic territory. The bill eases to Russian citizens allocation of land plots in the Arctic zone, in other territories of the North, Siberia and the Far East. The Far Eastern Hectare program was launched in 2016. More than 90,000 people have received land plots so far.