KYIV, Dec. 7 - Parliament voted on Thursday to extend a ban on the sale of agricultural land by one year, delaying what financial backers say is a key reform essential to Ukraine’s long-term economic growth.

The bill was backed by 236 lawmakers, narrowly over the 226 required to pass, Reuters reported.

Currently Ukraine’s more than 40 million hectares (99 million acres) of farmland cannot be bought or sold. The land is instead divided into smaller plots that are leased, resulting in relatively low productivity and limited private and foreign investment.