UAE in talks to buy more African land to aid food security
- AGBI
- 31 January 2024
With 56 deals under its belt, the UAE has 14 more farmland acquisition deals in the pipeline in 2024, mainly in Africa
With 56 deals under its belt, the UAE has 14 more farmland acquisition deals in the pipeline in 2024, mainly in Africa
Fighting between the Sudanese Army and the Rapid Support Forces threatens Gulf states which have invested tens of billions of dollars in Sudan for the production of crops and animal fodder, in addition to livestock rearing, for their own food security
The Nubian Desert in north-eastern Sudan might not be anyone’s idea of promising farmland, but the Agriculture Investment Holding Company (Ethmar) Ltd, a joint venture between Royal Group of Abu Dhabi and DAL Group, Sudan’s biggest conglomerate, is investing $225m to change all that on over 105,000 hectares.
Sudan signed an agreement with a group led by the UAE's AD Ports Group and Invictus Investment to build and operate the Abu Amama port and economic zone on the Red Sea - including a 168,000 ha agriculture zone - with a $6-billion investment.
Farmers in the El Gezira and El Managil Agricultural Scheme are considering forming a union to address land issues, seven years after the Farmers Union was disbanded by the Al Bashir regime in Sudan.
Turkey is revisiting a plan it started in 2016 but failed to execute leasing farmland in Sudan to grow sufficient food for home consumption and export.
Sudan recently signed a memorandum of understanding with the United Arab Emirates for a large agricultural project linked by a road to a new port to be built on the Red Sea, the Sudanese Finance Minister said.
Turkey is exploring opportunities to lease farmlands in 10 counties in Africa and Latin America to grow crops to boost agricultural production amid growing global concerns over food security. Authorities have been exploring such opportunities in 10 nations, besides Venezuela and Sudan.
Turkey has been planning since 2014 to meet a significant portion of its food needs by cultivating farmland leased in Sudan but lands have yet to be allocated and there are no staff working at the project's agricultural company.
In Uganda, land grabbed by local land brokers are immediately handed over to foreign companies, which then often grow the same crops as the villagers were growing before they were evicted.
At a bilateral meeting, Sudan and Turkey reiterate the agreement giving Turkish companies an initial 100,000 hectares of lands in Sudan for agricultural projects, with the promise of a further 700,000 hectares.
The stolen land belonged to families that are part of the 35000 people being forcefully displaced by three multinational companies including Great Seasons SMC Limited, Agilis Partners Limited, and Kiryandongo Sugar Limited.