'We want responsible investment by Indian companies,' Gurjit Singh, joint secretary in charge of east and southern Africa said amid allegations by some critics that Indian companies are indulging in land grab in Africa.

NZ Finance Minister says new test of more than 10 times the average farm size for foreigners buying land is not a cap.

Since 2008, the kingdom has sought to lease and buy farmland in developing nations to improve its security of food supplies. Now it needs to build reserves.

Foreign farmland acquisitions are a telling vote of no confidence in international markets by food-deficient countries, which understandably fear a repeat of the 2008 food crisis may deny them opportunities to buy grains and other essential soft commodities at any price.

Zuma said his administration is looking at ways to ensure greater access to land for the country’s black majority, including a possible ban on property ownership by foreigners.

The global boom in commodities has raised the profile of three Asian agribusinesses: Olam, Wilmar and Noble, all with important farmland holdings.

A pioneer investor in farmland and the food price rally is looking ahead to new trends -- war, epidemics and climate change as the investment opportunities of the future.

Brookfield will invest in Brazilian properties primarily comprised of pasture land that may be converted to higher-and-better uses, including soybean, corn and sugarcane production

800 people in Kampong Thom province staged a protest against a Korean company that is trying to clear their trees and farmland, to produce rubber and cassava, without offering any compensation.

Atama Plantation of Malaysia will invest $US300 million to develop 470,000 ha, including 180,000 ha of palm groves in northern Congo.

India's ACIL Cotton Industries said it plans to invest nearly $15 million to start contract farming of crops like coffee, pulses, oilseeds, cereals, potato, sugarcane and vegetables through lease-hold agricultural land in Brazil, Congo and Ethiopia.

Food prices are soaring again and the highest risks of farmland expropriation remain in Latin America, while the greatest impact of the recent rally could be on land deals in Africa.