Saudi Arabia

A flurry of announced international purchases of grain-producing acreage sparks debate about their merits

Abdullah Alireza, the Saudi minister of Commerce and Industry, talked about farming abroad in a recent visit to Seattle, where he addressed a private gathering of local business people.

"Saudi Arabia is increasingly looking for agriculture investment opportunities abroad, mostly in Africa," reports the US mission in Riyadh in May 2009

Since details emerged of Saudi Arabia’s plans to ensure supplies of wheat, rice, corn, soya beans and alfalfa through overseas agricultural investments, officials have insisted that they intended the programme to be private-sector led.

Saudi agricultural company Tabuk Agricultural Development Co has started preparations to invest in food production abroad, driving up its stock.

A 23-member delegation composed of government and private sector representatives from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) headed by its Minister of Agriculture was recently on a mission here to explore investment opportunities in agriculture.

CNN's John Defterios takes a look at how Middle Eastern countries are scouring the globe for farmland.

The Philippine agriculture department has assured that the government’s bid to attract foreign investments to farm ventures will not compromise the country’s food security and self-sufficiency targets.

Lula said that his country could become a “strategic partner” for Saudi Arabia in its search for farm investment opportunities abroad to develop greater food security.

The United Nations says the issue of food security has become one of the world's fundamental challenges. In the Philippines, the government has started looking beyond its borders as it tries to boost domestic agriculture. Many small farmers, however, are not happy about that, as Marga Ortigas explains

One area the Saudis are looking at is investment in agriculture in Brazil as Riyadh seeks to build up food security by purchasing or leasing farmland in other countries.

Pakistan hopes to attract more than $10 billion of investment from oil-rich Arab Gulf countries this year to help develop the country's infrastructure, a senior government official said Saturday.