Zambia does not regard leasing farmland to foreign investors as a form of 'colonialism' and is encouraging Gulf countries to invest in its agricultural sector, its finance minister said on Saturday.
Ghana is negotiating with Qatar to establish a joint venture firm to produce food for both countries, starting with 50,000 hectares.
Real asset investments held by the fund include farmland and natural resources.
Argentina Tourism Minister Carlos Meyer has hailed Qatar Airways’ flights from Buenos Aires to Doha as an important step for enhanced ties between the two countries, including farmland acquisitions.
Profit-hungry investors hope to avoid the stigma and opposition associated with land grabbing by partnering with local business development groups.
Indian company signs an MoU with Zambia Development Agency to facilitate the acquisition of 100,000 hectares of land for agricultural development in Zambia.
There are concerns about tax exemptions, an investment protection pact and a tax on foreign investors, but there no restrictions for Saudi investors to possess lands in Argentina, the Saudi Minister of Agriculture says
New report by GRAIN shows how Saudi businessmen are pursuing deals in Africa that would give them control over some of the continent's most productive farmlands.
By 2014, the area under rice cultivation is expected to reach 5,000 hectares, and the harvest is projected at 57,000 tonnes of rice a year.
The fund will operate according to a Code of Conduct for Land Acquisition and Land Use in to prevent unsustainable practices.
As wealthy investors continue to buy up agricultural land in the developing world, stakeholders disagree over how to regulate such transactions.
Not surprisingly, the backlash from people in Africa against Indian farmland investments has begun.
