In 2006, Beijing signed agreements on agricultural cooperation with several African countries that led to the installation of 14 farms in Zambia, Zimbabwe, Uganda, and Tanzania. By 2010, there will be one million Chinese peasants in Africa. The official goal: to help host countries increase production through Chinese technologies. The hybrid varieties of rice developed by Beijing are said to be able to improve yields by as much as 60 percent compared to the global average. It is clear, however, that much of the crop will be exported to China to ensure the country’s long-term market supply.
Agricultural lands have become more and more coveted. Of late, there has been a rush to invest in or outrightly purchase arable land in another country. By end of 2008, five countries were distinguished by the size of their land acquisitions abroad: China, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, Japan, and Saudi Arabia. Together, these countries now have over 7.6 million hectares for agricultural production outside of their respective national territories.
The aim of these land-purchasing countries is clearly ‘to deal with the consequences of stagnation in domestic production caused by rapid urbanization and declining water resources.’ Arable lands are becoming increasingly rare in the Middle East, for example. The oil monarchies have invested in the creation of extraterritorial annexes. Qatar has agricultural land in Indonesia, the Philippines, Bahrain, Kuwait, Burma, etc. Japan and South Korea have already been importing 60% of their food from abroad. Saudi Arabia has decided to embark full time on grain importation.
Via Dar Al-Hayat
