Kuwait

Lao Minister of Industry and Commerce confirms that his government is in negotiations with Thailand to join a rice land deal with Kuwait.

Laos has approached Thailand as a partner in a joint venture with Kuwait to grow rice in Laos. The Lao government has allocated 200,000ha.

Kuwait has recently shown an interest in doing rice business in Laos, but Vientiane wants Thailand to be its partner,

Gulf states buying farmland in developing nations for food security face the risk of damaging their reputation as international investors as the deals are seen as land grabs, a Rothschild executive said yesterday.

Because of the political sensitivity of the modern-day land grab, it is often only the country's head of state who knows the details. Der Spiegel investigates.

“It is the height of stupidity for our country to bargain our lands for the sake of other nation’s food security, while being dependent on importation for our very own food security needs,” says Rafael Mariano

Regierungen und Investmentfonds erwerben in Afrika und Asien Ackerland, um Nahrungsmittel anzubauen – ein lohnendes Geschäft, weil die Preise rasch steigen. Das Milliarden-Monopoly führt zu einem modernen Kolonialismus, dem sich viele arme Länder notgedrungen unterwerfen.

Kuwait sees good investment opportunities in Africa and is in talks with countries there about securing food supplies, state news agency Kuna said citing the country's finance minister.

A Kuwaiti company partly owned by the emirate's sovereign wealth fund is preparing to join other Gulf states in buying up agricultural land in Asia, part of a global land grab to ensure food security.

A state-affiliated Kuwaiti company is set to join a growing list of entities from the oil-rich Gulf looking at investments in Asian agricultural land.

During the recent review of Cambodia before the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, several Committee members raised concerns about the potential effects a land deal with the Kuwaiti government could have on various economic, social and cultural rights in Cambodia, including the rights to food, housing and an adequate standard of living.

As world population expands, the demand for arable land should soar. At least that's what George Soros, Lord Rothschild, and other investors believe.