Foreign cropland deals: A flurry of announced international purchases of grain-producing acreage sparks debate about their merits

摘要

There seems to be no end to the list of international cropland deals announced with increasing frequency beginning in 2008. Saudi Arabia says it plans to invest $4.3 billion in Indonesian rice production. South Korea announces that it has been grantedthe right to develop 1.4 million hectares for maize and palm oil in Madagascar, half of the country's arable land. Libya buys 250,000 hectares in Ukraine for wheat production. China acquires large farms in Africa, Russia and Latin America. United Arab Emirates purchases 324,000 hectares in Pakistan. Cambodia offers to sell Kuwait 800,000 hectares of idle land.