Land rights activists have been expressing their fears and concerns about the malicious trend of selling or leasing large farmland to foreign multinational companies and governments.

Nirmal Seeds wants not more than 30,000 hectares of land in Tanzania to invest in seeds production to feed the local market.

The government has not presented satisfactory and truthful explanations about its actions, let alone credible defense of its role as agency and facilitator of the abominable practices of farmland grabbing.

Global X has filed paperwork with the United States' Securities and Exchange Commission for a “Global X Farmland & Timberland ETF.”

Richer countries that are investing in land abroad for food cultivation should also educate the poor about agricultural methods, so that food production can be increased to a level at which poor people can produce enough for investing countries as well as themselves, says Bob Geldof.

Land grabbing poses no harm on the environment or on the local community, says Saudi billionaire Sheik Mohammed Hussein Al-Amoudi who is seeking to expand his farmland in Ethiopia from 10,000 hectares to 250,000 hectares.

The ECER has abundant land, which could fulfill the needs of Middle East countries that are looking for their food security program, says Malaysian official.

Groups consider land deal "treason", saying its aim is to steal Egyptian water and create a state inside the state.

"I look forward to watching the [CFS] evolve and address issues such as land acquisition," says UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.

Gambela’s new tag as a land grabbing hub comes as BHO Agro Plc becomes the third Indian firm to begin operations in the region after two other Indian companies, Karuturi and Ruchi Group, moved into Gambela in 2008 and early 2010, respectively.

Government of Tanzania will not compensate villagers who have moved onto land of the proposed irrigation farming project with Korea.

A delegation of Korea experts is expected to arrive in the country to sign a $50 million pact covering an initial 15,000 ha in the Rufiji River Basin.

LABOR has demanded the Coalition back foreign investment in the farm sector after it said he would be prepared to limit foreign purchases.

A group of farmers from Punjab are planning to take 1 lakh hectare land on lease in the African nation of Ethiopia for cultivation.

"Agricultural lands being leased by Saudis have been increasing by the day in Ethiopia," Ethiopian Consul General Tekleab Kebede says.

Tanzania's President says his government has decided to work with the private sector in large scale farming and the Tazara corridor is the starting point.

The Agricultural Stance Coalition has rejected the government’s plan to establish a food estate in Merauke, Papua. According to them, the plan sounds reckless and letting the people of Indonesia become slaves in their own country.

The UAE will set up a strategic food stock as part of a food security strategy that includes aquiring farmland in African and Asian countries

The Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) signed the memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the establishment of Thailand Food Security Stockpile and Distribution Center and Industry with the Board of Trade of Thailand.

Small scale farming which is prevalent in rural Tanzania has no future but instead the country needs large scale commercial farmers including those from abroad to inject capital and technology, argues Professor.

The chairman of Golden Gras says the solution to problems around buying farmland abroad for Saudi food production is 60:40 partnerships.

The high potential in rice investment has intrigued not only China, which is Cambodia's biggest donor, but other donors as well, such as Kuwait, Korea and Japan—given the country’s agricultural sector is the nation’s backbone economy.

Saudi Arabia and Turkey will hold talks to map out a future strategy for cooperation in the agriculture sector on Tuesday. The talks, to be held within the framework of a major initiative launched by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah to ensure food security, will be led by Minister of Agriculture Fahd Balghunaim, while Turkish Minister of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Mehdi Eker will attend from the Turkish side.

Saudi Arabia announces the launch of Agroinvest, which will focus on farm acquisitions abroad to grow wheat, rice, soybeans and other crops in Brazil, Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines, Pakistan and Turkey

The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry is backing the government’s policy of allowing foreign investments in the country’s big plantations, as long as the investors do not violate Philippine laws.

Thai farmers were justified when they told television news they did not agree with the proposal of letting the Gulf Investment Corporation (GIC) start its own farms in Thailand.

A militant legislator has expressed alarm over what he described as escalating land-lease agreements by the Philippines with other countries

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.

The Guyana government has rolled out several invitations to regional investors that included land offers for agricultural purposes.

A Norwegian company, ScanFuel Ltd., says its Ghanaian unit has contracted about 400,000 hectares of land, with up to 60 percent reserved for biofuel production, “not less” than 30 percent for food production and the remainder for biodiversity buffer zones.