China

Farmers in Uzbekistan say the government is forcing them to surrender land to Chinese businesses under the guise of state-backed development, taking thousands of hectares of fertile cotton and wheat fields out of the hands of locals.

Agricultural ventures feature prominently, with Shandong Jialejia Agriculture committing Sh3.9 billion to a 500,000-hen egg farm in Kajiado, Zonken Group investing Sh41.6 billion in a 300-acre aloe vera processing plant in Baringo and Sh10.4 billion for a 72-acre grape vineyard.

The National Sugar Development Council (NSDC) and Chinese conglomerate, SINOMACH have agreed to jointly develop a large-scale sugarcane cultivation and processing project in Nigeria.

Despite persistent rumors, only 4% of Chinese investment in Uzbekistan goes into agriculture. Foreign investors cannot purchase land, it can only be leased for a maximum of 25 years through open auctions.

According to Cambodian media, the Ratanakiri Provincial Information Bureau recently issued a notice announcing the approval of 17 foreign-funded enterprises to obtain economic land concessions (ELC) in the province, covering agricultural planting, agro-industrial integration and beef cattle breeding. Among foreign companies that have obtained economic land concessions, Vietnamese companies dominate, followed by Chinese and Indian companies. In addition, 10 local companies have also obtained land investment with a total area of ​​146,366 hectares.

The Egyptian government and a Chinese business delegation are planning for the establishment of an agricultural investment project in the New Valley Governorate through “China Railway,” one of China’s major companies, to produce potatoes, wheat, and soybeans.

Thailand's Senate Natural Resources and Environment Committee is intensifying its investigation into a Chinese business illegally clearing over 600 rai of national forest land in Chachoengsao's Tha Takiab district to cultivate durian.

El principal foco de su alerta es la actual sobreoferta de cerezas, que ha llevado a una fuerte caída en los precios de exportación.

The country’s improved railway connectivity facilitates fruit exports to China but has also sparked a boom in foreign-owned banana and durian farms, leading to deforestation.

Findings from the Federal Government’s latest annual Foreign Ownership of Agricultural Land Register released last week show the total area of ag land with a level of offshore ownership has fallen just 0.3 percent from 47.7 million hectares to 47.56m ha last year.

Tajikistan leased around 18,000 hectares of its land to China for cotton, rice, grain, and corn cultivation for a 49-year contract. The agreement was part of a broader initiative to strengthen economic ties between the two countries.

One Chinese company that has joined Laos' durian rush is Jiarun, an infrastructure builder that has vowed to establish the world's largest durian plantation in Attapeu, a remote province in southern Laos, on 5,000 ha it has secured on a 50-year lease from the Laotian government.