Opposition activists in Kazakhstan called on the government on Saturday to stop Chinese investment in the country's natural resources, saying Beijing could be preparing a land grab in Central Asia
NZS may not have successfully introduced our farming practices to Uruguay but it managed to introduce New Zealanders' strategy of acquiring highly leveraged farm land with the intention of making a large, non-taxable capital profit on disposal.
China should use its huge foreign exchange reserves to expand investment in the agricultural sector overseas, in an effort to increase domestic market supply, says researcher with government-owned economic institute.
Last week, bids closed for an 83% stake in Fonterra's biggest supplier, Dairy Holdings, which oversees 72 South Island farms. Bidders reportedly include Chinese dairy giant Bright Dairy, a pastoral fund owned by Australian investment bank Macquarie Group, British private equity firm Terra Firma. US private equity firm Carlyle Group and the Harvard Endowment Fund.
“They are moving in,” said Carlo Lovatelli, president of the Brazilian Association of Vegetable Oil Industries. “They are looking for land, looking for reliable partners. But what they would like to do is run the show alone.”
- New York Times
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26 May 2011
Smallholding income can be far more productive for rural areas than export orientated or foreign-owned large farms because any income earned is spent in the rural area.
Uruguay's president said on Wednesday he wanted to raise taxes on the country's biggest landowners -- including Argentine-based agricultural company El Tejar and George Soros's Adecoagro -- to boost the state's share of bumper farming and forestry sector profits
A new study into how virtual water moves around the world offers an explanation for the farmland leasing strategy, reports New Scientist
- New Scientist
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26 May 2011
China's enormous sovereign wealth fund, the China Investment Corporation, may have set aside up to 1.5% or about $6 billion of its massive foreign exchange reserves to invest in New Zealand assets, including potentially dairy farms.
Indonesia, the world's No.1 palm oil producer, signed into law a 2-year freeze on new permits that may prompt palm oil firms to seek new ways to grow supply to meet rising demand from India and China, such as buying more land in Africa
SA’s commercial agricultural skills are a sought-after currency on the continent, with Nigeria and Sierra Leone the latest to announce bold plans to recruit South African farmers to their countries.
Amid some misgivings about India’s acquisition of vast stretches of land, Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi Wednesday rejected charges of land grab as “loose talk” and welcomed Indian investment for development.