Once one of Florida's iconic ranching dynasties has sold the balance of its Osceola County land holdings to a global agribusiness firm Optimum Agriculture and the government of Dubai for $136.5 million.
The hefty mark-up for the 5.5 million ha property could leave foreign bidders in the box seat, testing the government's appetite for foreign ownership less than two years after it rejected China-led bids for an energy grid and agricultural company. energy grid and agricultural company.
Ghana's Minister of Food and Agriculture tells Israeli businessmen that his government has set aside large hectares of land for the cultivation of avocados and urges them to take advantage of the opportunity.
"China has chosen agriculture as the sector it should invest the most in the near future in Mozambique," says China's ambassador to Mozambique.
The Wanbao Mozambique rice farm, the largest of its kind undertaken by China in Africa, aims to develop 20,000 ha of farmland and contract with farmers in surrounding areas to grow crops over another 80,000 ha.
China's foreign investment and cooperation in agriculture must recognize the "deep changes in the domestic and foreign environment," "seize opportunities" and "take the initiative" according to Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs officials .
Harvard's portfolio is still vast, including farms in Australia, South Africa and Brazil, as well as vineyards in California and timberland in Eastern Europe and throughout Central and South America, according to tax documents and other filings.
If soybean imports from the US are disrupted China could be forced to search for new frontiers to secure its soybean demand and protect its supply chains, leading to another wave of so-called “land grabs.”
Algeria plans to offer foreign investors concessions for farm land for the first time, according to an official document, as the oil producer seeks to boost food output and reduce reliance on imports.
African Palm Corp.'s operations will now extend into Guinea-Bissau and the Republic of the Congo, giving the Company access to a total of 4.5 million hectares of palm trees
A new land law was passed to protect small-scale farmers and rural communities. But often the legal procedure is not respected and farmers lose the land on which their livelihood depends.
Courts are beginning to rule in favor of the displaced communities, and companies are feeling pressured to offer compromises.
