Govt keen to lease out farmland to foreigners

Food and Agriculture Nazar Mohammad Gondal said the govt had enough barren land in the country and if some foreign country was interested in making investment in those areas, it would be more than welcomed. - File photo

Dawn | Thursday, 14 Jan, 2010

By Khawar Ghumman

ISLAMABAD: The government is open for foreign investment in agriculture sector to lease out its land to foreign bidders, Federal Minister for Food and Agriculture Nazar Mohammad Gondal told the National Assembly on Wednesday.

In response to a question put forward by Ms Nisar Tanvir of PML (N), the minister explained to the house that the government was very much interested in offering its land to foreigners, however currently there was no such proposal under consideration.

Ms Nisar had asked whether the government was in negotiation with some foreign countries to lease out its farmland in the recent past.

Over the last few months the government’s decision to lease out several hundred thousand acres of farmland to Saudi government had been doing rounds, but concerned officials had come up with contradictory information. Some said the decision had been taken, others argued it was in final stages. A number of wealthy countries mainly Middle Eastern states are on the hunt to secure farmland in third world nations both in Asia and Africa to ensure their future food securities.

Gulf Arab states, heavily reliant on food imports and spurred on by a spike in prices of basic commodities, have raced to buy farmland in developing nations to guarantee their uninterrupted supplies.

In response to a supplementary question, the minister said whenever decision on leasing out government land was taken it would be done through a transparent way.

“The government has enough barren land in the country and if some foreign country is interested in making investment in those areas, it would be more than welcomed,” Mr Gondal said. However, he clarified, currently there was no such proposal under consideration.

When inquired, the minister claimed at present there was no scarcity of food in the country and the government had taken special measures to ensure food security.

A writ petition questioning the farmland offer to foreigners was moved in the Lahore High Court last year. The petitioner said that the sale or lease of land on such a massive scale and on such attractive terms might pose a security risk to the country because the people of the subcontinent had faced the same problem when the East India Company came to this part of the world.
  •   Dawn
  • 14 January 2010
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