ALBANY – New York could become the latest state to ban farmland purchases by companies tied to hostile governments under a new bill unveiled in the legislature.

“In the midst of national security concerns related to spying, it is important that the United States not allow foreign adversaries like the Chinese government to continue purchasing large amounts of agricultural land,” Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara (D-Schenectady) said in a statement Friday.

The proposal would “ban entities owned by foreign adversaries,” — including China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, and Venezuela.

Currently, 14 states have enacted similar restrictions, according to a February tally by FiveThirtyEight.

The bans have been passed amid growing concerns over US vulnerability to Chinese intelligence operations and rising tensions between Washington and Beijing.

Other countries could be added to the ban list if the Commerce Department finds a rival government is leveraging agricultural land buys in the US to threaten national security, according to Santabarbara.

State officials would also have to report on the total amount of farmland currently tied to foreign governments.

Foreign entities currently own about 756,000 acres of farmland in the Empire State and a total of 40,031,308 acres nationwide, according to 2021 data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“Now more than ever we must do all we can to protect our food supply chains here in the United States. This bill would ensure that going forward no agricultural land in New York State can be purchased by foreign advisories that pose a threat to national security,” said Santabarbara, who could not be immediately reached for comment.