India

Land is a powerful commodity that should be used for the betterment of humanity through farming and ecology.

New legislation for land acquisition in India are all aimed at facilitating greater corporate control over vast tracts of land, particularly agricultural and forest land, says president of Ekta Parishad.

A new study into how virtual water moves around the world offers an explanation for the farmland leasing strategy, reports New Scientist

We must not suffer with a false ‘nationalistic’ sentiment because the same companies are disinheriting our own people from their land and using it for non agricultural purposes and then procuring huge land abroad to get it imported to India.

Mr. Zenawi said it was possible that land-grabbing was going on elsewhere in Africa but not in Ethiopia, adding, “I want to reassure Indian companies that they are welcome here. We want them to come and farm what is virgin land.”

Amid some misgivings about India’s acquisition of vast stretches of land, Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi Wednesday rejected charges of land grab as “loose talk” and welcomed Indian investment for development.

Ram Karuturi says he is targeting to acquire up to a million hectares of land in Ethiopia and other parts of Africa to build an integrated global agri-product company.

Un accord en voie de finalisation entre le Sénégal et l’Inde porte sur l’aménagement de 150 000 ha au Sénégal pour la culture du riz, du maïs, de l’arachide, du coton et de céréales. Le Conseil des ministres sénégalais du 11 mai 2011 confirme cette information.

The land will be used to grow and process rice, corn, peanuts, cotton and cereals, the Communications Ministry said.

The Ethiopian Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development recently released the Land Rent Contractual Agreements for land leases between the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (FDRE) and twenty-four companies or individuals.

Karuturi Global Ltd. may receive an additional 200,000 hectares (494,211 acres) of land from the Ethiopian government if its current 100,000-hectare concession is developed within two years, the Agriculture Ministry said.

"The reports claiming that the Government of Ethiopia has reduced the land concession given to Karuturi Global, are completely baseless," says Sai Ramakrishna Karuturi, Founder & MD, Karuturi Global.