Carl Atkin, Head of Research at Bidwells Agribusiness looks at the recent interest in 'strategic food security' and the associated 'land grab' by Middle Eastern Corporations and Governments in countries as diverse of Sudan, Senegal and Sierra Leone.
In the Czech Republic, agricultural land is also being snapped up. Whereas buyers used to be mainly Dutch and German farmers, now Western investment companies are also getting in on the act.
Indian firms have signed land deals in Ethiopia, Kenya and Madagascar to produce a range of food crops for export to India.
In August 2008, Ithmaar joined forces with two leading Middle East banks, Bahrain-based Gulf Finance House and Abu Dhabi Investment House, to form Vision 3, an organisation that provides high-value investment opportunities across a range of sectors including food security
Undeterred by recent debates, a Bahrain scouting mission left for a week-long trip to the Philippines and Thailand yesterday, where it hopes to secure fruit and vegetable plantations.
Amid fears of land-grabbing foreigners, Thailand's Democrat government is all set to give local landlords a big bonanza.
Many land transactions occur without a paper trail, therefore making regulation even more challenging.
"According to our laws and our policy, foreigners or foreign companies are not allowed to rent or buy land to grow rice or any kind of food, including raising livestock, in Thailand," Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva said yesterday.
Despite criticism for Chinese efforts to acquire large-scale farmland in Africa, China is seen continuing to aggressively pursue acquisitions in other countries. says Michael Whitehead, executive director of the food and agribusiness research and advisory unit at Rabobank International.
Recognizing that land is increasingly becoming a good that is traded internationally, this BMZ position paper analyses driving forces, risks and opportunities for developing countries.
KS Oils acquires additional 14,000 HA land for oil palm plantations in Indonesia, owning a total of 34,000 ha.
Farming overseas is a global trend. So to find out more about this phenomenon, Mike Gallagher meets Andrew Hunter - a British farmer working vast landholdings in Hungary and Serbia.
