text: Bulgarians recover 75 pct of confiscated land . SOFIA 1996-08-28 Bulgaria has restored ownership rights to pre-communist private owners of 75 percent of the arable land or around four million hectares , an Agriculture Ministry official said on Wednesday . " So far 75 percent has been returned with the land restitution almost completed in some regions like Southeastern Bulgaria but lagging behind in other areas , predominantly in the mountains , " the official told a news conference . The ministry has said that it planned to return 96.6 percent of the arable land or 5.2 million hectares to its original owners by the end of this year . A land reform act passed four years ago abolished Soviet-style collective farms , allowing the return of 5.4 million hectares to original owners or their heirs . -- Sofia Newsroom , ( ++359-2 ) 981 8569