Havana - Cuban President Raul Castro is set to redistribute idle state-owned arable land, and he has signed a decree to that effect, the daily Granma reported Friday.

The planned redistribution had already been announced earlier this year.

The move seeks to boost food production in communist Cuba, amid the impact of a global increase in the prices of foodstuffs. The country spends over 1 billion dollars a year in food imports.

However, redistributed land will only be granted in usufruct, meaning farmers may use it, but they will not own it and will not be able to sell it to others. Individuals will have rights for 10 years, while cooperatives will have 25 years, although these periods can be extended in the future.

"For various reasons, there is currently a significant percentage of state agricultural land that is idle," said the decree whose content was quoted in Cuban state media. "Therefore it is necessary to transfer these areas in usufruct (...) with a view to increasing the production of foodstuffs and reducing their import."

Raul Castro became president in February, replacing long-time Cuban leader Fidel Castro, his brother. He has since introduced several reforms, including those that liberalize the sale of mobile phones, computers and other consumer goods. (dpa)