Buenos Aires Province: Kirchnerists Propose Limiting Foreign Land Ownership

A legislative proposal emerging from La Cámpora, a prominent faction within Argentina's Kirchnerist movement, seeks to impose significant restrictions on foreign land ownership in the province of Buenos Aires. The bill aims to limit foreign entities to holding no more than 15% of the province's rural land.

Furthermore, the proposal includes a cap of 1,000 hectares for any single foreign owner within the core agricultural regions of Buenos Aires. This initiative stands in direct opposition to President Javier Milei's broader agenda, which includes efforts to liberalize property laws through the "Ley de Inviolabilidad de la Propiedad Privada" currently being debated in Congress.

The bill, spearheaded by Facundo Tignanelli, president of the Unión por la Patria bloc in the provincial legislature, is supported by the Movimiento Evita and Patria Grande groups. Tignanelli invoked the previous Rural Lands Law (26.737), enacted during Cristina Kirchner's presidency and later repealed by a decree now facing legal challenges, as a precedent for these proposed protections.

Data cited by the proponents indicates that approximately 834,421 hectares in Buenos Aires province are currently held by foreign owners. The proposal highlights specific municipalities near the Paraná River, such as Campana (50.2% foreign-owned) and Zárate (24.8%), where foreign land concentration significantly exceeds the proposed 15% threshold. The bill also includes provisions to prevent acquisitions that could jeopardize community access to water resources and mandates the registration of foreign landholdings.

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The repeal of the Lands Law, which was enacted by decree of necessity and urgency 70/2023, makes it necessary, according to Tignanelli, to safeguard the interests of the people of Buenos Aires.