South Korea's Daewoo Logistics said on Tuesday it might delay its massive corn plantation plan in Madagascar due to political instability and weak commodity prices, a move that could signal the first withdrawal of major foreign investment from the Indian Ocean island nation.

When violence erupted in the island nation of Madagascar two weeks ago, few would have guessed that South Korean conglomerate Daewoo Logistics was partly to blame.

With vast tracts of land being sold in Madagascar, and Sudan and other African governments actively seeking investors in agricultural land, are we witnessing a neo-colonial land grab or will the investment result in greater food productivity to the long-term benefit of recipient nations?

A new scramble for arable land in Tanzania has started - the coastline and the fertile land in Northern and Southern Tanzania being the prime targets.

Somebody must have run the numbers and discovered that if it made commercial sense to practice oasis farming in the sands of Arabia, then it must make eminently more sense to invest in more fertile Sahel land for agricultural purposes.

In an exclusive telephone interview during her visit to Riyadh on Tuesday, Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo focused on measures by her country to strengthen economic ties with the Kingdom.

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia told President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Tuesday that he is sending a high-level business mission to the Philippines in April to look for investment opportunities in the Philippine agriculture sector.

Vom Geschäftemachen versteht Madagaskars Präsident Marc Ravalomanana etwas. Schließlich hat sich der 59-Jährige vom radelnden Joghurt-Verkäufer zum Chef des Firmenimperiums Tiko empor gewirtschaftet. Das Geschäft mit Milch hat ihn zum reichsten Mann der Tropeninsel gemacht - schon bevor er 2002 in den Präsidentenpalast einzog.

AOAD Director-General Salim Allowzi said the private sector in the Arab World needs to step up investment in farming projects to cut the massive import bill, ensure enough farm products for the region and bolster food security.

First cargo of rice arrives in oil-rich kingdom amid mixed feelings over business ethics.

According to Nograles the vision of the political leaders of Mindanao is that if the 26,000 hectares of contiguous agricultural land can be developed in the joint venture partnership with the Saudi chamber of commerce, a lease agreement could gurantee 50 years of food security for the Kingdom.

While I am all for infrastructure projects, the way these large-scale agriculture projects are being conceived leaves a lot to be desired. One, they are shrouded in secrecy. Two, this being Kenya, it is not clear who will benefit most.