Nigeria

While Wilmar spins green rhetoric, its bulldozers are still destroying vast swathes of forest and farmland.

Calvin Burgess, chairman of Dominion Farms, has issued a letter denying their involvement in a 30,000 hectare landgrab in Nigeria's Taraba State.

Development secretary Justine Greening is facing questions over UK involvement in a massive land-grab in Nigeria that is evicting local farmers from 300 square kilometres of fertile farmland.

Farmers in Taraba State refuse to give up their lands for massive rice plantation project backed by the G8

Des agriculteurs de l'État de Taraba refusent de céder leurs terres à un énorme projet de riziculture soutenu par le G8

As major investors like Dangote and makers of Indomie Noodles, Dufil, move massive investments into Nigeria's Edo State, the Commissioner for Agriculture says the state is set to take over as the nation’s food basket.

New agricultural investments in the pipeline include over $300 million in potential opportunities on the continent (excluding South Africa) which are currently being developed by its various investment teams.

Osun State Government signed agriculture partnerships over the weekend with investors from Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina.

PZ-Wilmar, a joint venture between two international companies, says it will expand its palm oil production to 240,000 ha of plantations if the government implements a backward integration programme.

"Between now and the next seven, eight years, our Group in Nigeria will have over 100,000 hectares of plantations," says the Chairman of Presco Plc, a company controlled by SIAT of Belgium.

Lagos State government says states acquiring land for food production in other places has become "global practice everywhere".

Niger State Commissioner for Agriculture says Aliko Dangote is coming to Niger State in grand style with a request for 50,000 ha of land in the flood plain bank of River Niger for rice and sugarcane production.