Hassad Food, owned by Qatar's sovereign wealth fund, plans to acquire a sugar project in Brazil with a capacity to produce 25 million tonnes per annum, 70% of which will be shipped to Qatar.
The Qatari company is about to bring home the first shipment of its own wheat produced overseas, and to start producing its own sugar in Brazil
Australian Liberal senator Bill Heffernan warns that sovereign wealth funds need to be watched because some were "already acquiring other sovereigns' wealth to protect their own food security tasks".
UAE-based investment company Al Barakah has shown interest in developing agriculture and farming projects in Bulgaria.
State-backed food producing and marketing giant, Hassad Food Company, has plans to produce rice in India, Pakistan, the Philippines and Vietnam.
Hassad Food says it would soon begin meeting at least 50 percent of Qatar's wheat requirements and later 20 percent of its poultry needs.
Hassad Food Company intends to invest $500mn to $700mn this year for projects across the world as part of its mission to ensure food security for Qatar, chairman and managing director Nasser bin Mohamed Mubarak al-Fuhaid al-Hajri has said.
Gulf countries investing in farmland abroad have a real opportunity to help developing countries and should rethink simply switching their investments to richer states says Dr Mahendra Shah
"I understand Moldova has a favourable climate and good farmland, which Qatar’s Hassad Food could possibly look at for opportunities," says Qatar's Deputy Premier
Between 2007 and mid-2008, Gulf states and their government-backed businesses spent US$15 billion (Dh55bn) in sub-Saharan Africa alone, much of it in the drive for food security
"As more investors look into the opportunities that developed nations present there will be no need to go underground or be ashamed of these deals," said Hakan Agro's Tomar.
Prof Rajendra Pachauri, chairman of the IPCC, thinks Arab states should shore up their food security as global warming places stress on the world's agricultural resources. But he is not thinking of recent government initiatives to buy fertile farmland in other countries.
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