Pakistan to lend 700,000 acres farmland to Arab states: Dawn

ISLAMABAD: The ministry of investment has decided to lend 700,000 acres of farmland to Arab countries on the basis of long-term investment.

An official of the ministry said, the decision has been taken keeping in view the interest of Arab countries in agricultural land of Sindh and Punjab. The government is also working to remove reservations of persons associated with the agriculture sector, a private news channel reported.

Investment Minister Waqar Ahmed Khan said if the government successfully achieves its objectives; it will pave the way to get the latest technology for the agriculture sector in the country.

‘Over the past few weeks, the Saudi government has been in talks with us to lease 700,000 acres of farmland; and we are currently in the process of locating which land we could give them,’ Tauqir Ahmad Faiq, regional secretary, Ministry of agriculture, said in an interview.

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Emirates Investment Group to buy Pakistan farmland: Guardian

* EIG says deals in pipeline to buy, lease land in Punjab

* Seeks international agriculture partners

By Amena Bakr

SHARJAH, April 28 (Reuters) - Emirates Investment Group is in the process of acquiring farmland in Pakistan to export more food to the Gulf region and is seeking international partners, a company executive said on Tuesday.

EIG, a private-sector investment company based in Sharjah, the third-largest emirate of the United Arab Emirates, already exports vegetables and grains such as rice and wheat from Pakistan to the Gulf, Vice Chairman Raza Jafar told Reuters.

"In the pipeline we have a number of deals for leasing and buying land in the Punjab province of Pakistan which come through by the end of the year," he said in an interview, declining to comment on the size or cost of the land.

Once the land is acquired, EIG plans to produce vegetables including onions, tomatoes and potatoes, Jafar said. "We are also looking to producing citrus fruits and cattle farming."

He added that the company is seeking international partners specialised in agriculture to handle these projects.

"You have to keep in mind that this is a business for us, not a charity or a social project, so all we are after at the end like any company is to maximise profits," said Jafar.

Governments of Gulf states have been seeking to acquire farmland in developing nations to secure food supply.

"We are not working with the government, we are a private company, but if people want to give us the credit of securing food supply then so be it," said Jafar.

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Pakistan offers farmland to foreign investors: Reuters

By Amena Bakr

DUBAI (Reuters) - Pakistan is offering one million acres of farmland, protected by a special security force, for lease or sale to countries seeking to secure their food supplies, an official from the ministry of finance said on Monday.

Gulf Arab countries, mainly reliant on food imports, have been seeking farmland in developing nations to secure supplies and have expressed interest in Pakistan's offer.

Donors including the United States, Japan, Europe, Saudi Ararbia and Iran pledged more than $5 billion in aid over two years at a conference in Japan this month to help Pakistan as it battles militants and repair its economy.

"We are offering one million acres of land across Pakistan for investors who want to buy or lease the land for a long period of time," said Waqar Ahmed Khan, the Federal Minister of Investment in Pakistan.

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