Jenaan, which has agricultural investments from Spain to Ethiopia, said it changed its policy in part because it had been losing money in Egypt and in part due to advice from the government of Abu Dhabi.
Rachat de la JAT, devenue Air Serbia, par Etihad, investissements massifs de la compagnie Al-Dahra en Voïvodine : les Émirats arabes unis sont en passe de devenir le premier investisseur étranger en Serbie. D’où vient un tel emballement ?
Al Dahra Agriculture, a private-sector partner of the UAE Government in securing key food staples, is targeting investments in coffee and sugar plantations in Brazil, Colombia and Chile, said the company's vice chairman.
As well as plans to build silos to store key commodities, the Government's approach includes partnering private sector players such as Al Dahra Agriculture to secure overseas land.
Global rules for investment in agriculture need to be overhauled, Sultan Al Mansouri, the UAE Minister of Economy, said yesterday, as signs emerge of rising barriers to the flow of investment around the world.
Hesham Al Shirawi, Chairman of Economic Zones World, mooted the idea of establishing free zones for agri-business in Africa during the Africa Global Business Forum 2013. The establishment of corn farms is also a lucrative business proposition, he added.
Pressed on which countries in Africa would be suitable food sources, Hisham Abdullah Al Shirawi, the chairman of Economic Zones World, says the test would be countries where water was in abundance and which were not spoilt by strife.
"The UAE is looking not just at land [acquisitions] but developing the whole supply chain," says Nicholas Lodge, managing partner at Clarity, a consultancy that advises on investments in agricultural industries.
Abu Dhabi-based firm Al-Dahra agreed to invest $ 400 million to buy eight Serbian farm companies and develop them to grow and process food and fodder for export, in the biggest investment in Serbian agriculture for decades.
New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs says his country can be a logical partner for resource-rich Gulf countries as a producer of food in places like Africa, where experts say half of the potential agricultural land is under-utilised.
The intended aim is to meet Abu Dhabi's vision and strategy for long-term food security.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan will become a majority owner of eight Serbian agriculture corporations that own 9,000 hectares of land and will lease an additional 14,000 hectares of arable land in Serbia for EUR 250 per hectare per year.
