Saudi Arabia

A local subsidiary of Saudi Arabian firm Abbar and Zainy has proposed turning a wide swathe of land in Sultan Kudarat and Maguindanao – including the site of the Maguindanao massacre – into a banana plantation.

Modern machineries of all sorts, owned and run by agri-companies, are turning the soils inside out, destroying forests and beginning to pollute the environment to get more production.

Land grabbing poses no harm on the environment or on the local community, says Saudi billionaire Sheik Mohammed Hussein Al-Amoudi who is seeking to expand his farmland in Ethiopia from 10,000 hectares to 250,000 hectares.

Former Prime Minister, Bob Hawke, is leading a push to get Arabs to invest in Australian farmland as part of a long term food security strategy for oil-rich Gulf States

Countries in north Africa and the Middle East are urgently seeking ways to soften the blow of surging food prices for their citizens, alarmed by protests against authoritarian rulers from Algeria to Yemen.

The ECER has abundant land, which could fulfill the needs of Middle East countries that are looking for their food security program, says Malaysian official.

The Zambian Development Agency signed off the virgin land to a firm called Menafea Holding which will grow pineapples and produce juice

“Our king has asked that the government and the private sector go and invest in countries that have high agricultural production potential,” says Saudi central bank governor.

Part of the produce would go to local markets of producing countries, which have to provide necessary protection to Saudi investors through long-term agreements. A first such agreement was signed with the Philippines in February 2010.

As Gulf states continue to invest in foreign farmland, what are the long term implications

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.

Depuis quelques années, des intérêts étrangers tentent de racheter de grandes quantités de terres agricoles en Afrique de l'ouest. Emission sur RCI.