Around 2,000 people, most of them farmers, rallied in Kiev on Wednesday to protest a government plan to sell its farmland, fearing a foreign takeover.

The government said last month it would allow the sale of the land — which has been available only for rent since the Soviet period — starting next year to boost investment.

“If Ukrainian land is put up for sale, Ukrainians will be pushed out by the Americans, Chinese and Russians who will be ready to buy it,” said farmer Oleksandr Klepach, who came from the south of the country to protest.

READ ALSO: Russia spreading false information in Libya, Cameroon, six others —Facebook

The land would “be acquired by foreigners, they have the money,” said Valentyna Zemliana, a farmer from Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine.

Zemliana, part of the crowd that had gathered outside President Volodymyr Zelensky’s offices and parliament, called on the leader to listen to “ordinary people”.

The former Soviet republic, whose stalling economy has been propped up by Western aid for years, is home to some of the largest swathes of cultivated land in Europe.

The World Bank has said that Ukrainian land is “exceptionally fertile” with one-third of the world’s black soil — which is rich in phosphoric acids, phosphorus and ammonia.

Opening it up for sale could lead to a 1.5 per cent GDP boost, it said in a 2017 report.

Zelensky, a popular comedian who was elected president in April, has sought to abate concerns.

The government has proposed a temporary measure, saying that only Ukrainian citizens and companies would be allowed to buy land between 2020 and 2024.

The government has, however, said foreigners might be able to invest in local companies making purchases.

(AFP)