India buys land abroad, 9 times the size of Delhi
India buys land abroad, 9 times the size of Delhi
Snehal Rebello, Hindustan Times Mumbai, October 19, 2013
First Published: 19:33 IST(19/10/2013) | Last Updated: 10:46 IST(20/10/2013)
Indian companies have acquired land more than nine times the size of Delhi on foreign shores, as cultivable land at home is lost to urbanisation, industry and infrastructure projects.
Land Matrix, a global land monitoring initiative that tracks land dealings worldwide, placed India among the top 10 countries that have acquired large tracts of land abroad, primarily for agriculture, in Africa and Asia. The country ranks eighth, next to China, in the list which has US, Malaysia, United Arab Emirates and UK among the top buyers.
Of the total 848 deals concluded globally since 2008, 80 involve Indian companies that have invested in 65 deals to grow foodg rains, sugarcane, oil seeds, tea and flowers.
Land Matrix data show 12.89 lakh hectares have been acquired via long term lease or ownership basis in 39 deals by Indian companies. The US tops the list with 71.47 lakh hectares followed by Malaysia (34.58 lakh hectares) and Arab Emirates (28.33 lakh hectares).
These acquisitions have been driven by the 2007-08 increase in world food prices, scarcity of land in India, global rise in demand for basic staples such as pulses and food grains and diet diversification to high value commodities like fruits, vegetables, processed meat and milk.
“Over the last two decades, the net sowing land in India has reduced from 42 million hectares to 40 million hectares. We lost agriculture land to real estate and industry and there is no scope to increase net sowing land,” said Professor Vijay Paul Sharma, centre for management in agriculture at the IIM-Ahmedabad.
Sharma, a former agriculture economist with the Indian Council for Agriculture Research, added, “With farming moving to production of more high value crops, limited availability of land in the country and slow pace of technology in agriculture, the alternative available to large companies who want to produce more is to acquire land overseas.”
Sannati Group of Companies is one such group. It acquired on lease in October 2010 fertile land with virgin soil and access to unlimited water for irrigation in Ethiopia, one the company said had never been cultivated for a long time.
Apart from Ethiopia, Indian companies have acquired land in Cambodia, Indonesia, Madagascar, Kenya, Liberia, Tanzania, Sudan, Malaysia, Mozambique, Uganda and Zambia.
Land Matrix, a global land monitoring initiative that tracks land dealings worldwide, placed India among the top 10 countries that have acquired large tracts of land abroad, primarily for agriculture, in Africa and Asia. The country ranks eighth, next to China, in the list which has US, Malaysia, United Arab Emirates and UK among the top buyers.
Of the total 848 deals concluded globally since 2008, 80 involve Indian companies that have invested in 65 deals to grow foodg rains, sugarcane, oil seeds, tea and flowers.
Land Matrix data show 12.89 lakh hectares have been acquired via long term lease or ownership basis in 39 deals by Indian companies. The US tops the list with 71.47 lakh hectares followed by Malaysia (34.58 lakh hectares) and Arab Emirates (28.33 lakh hectares).
These acquisitions have been driven by the 2007-08 increase in world food prices, scarcity of land in India, global rise in demand for basic staples such as pulses and food grains and diet diversification to high value commodities like fruits, vegetables, processed meat and milk.
“Over the last two decades, the net sowing land in India has reduced from 42 million hectares to 40 million hectares. We lost agriculture land to real estate and industry and there is no scope to increase net sowing land,” said Professor Vijay Paul Sharma, centre for management in agriculture at the IIM-Ahmedabad.
Sharma, a former agriculture economist with the Indian Council for Agriculture Research, added, “With farming moving to production of more high value crops, limited availability of land in the country and slow pace of technology in agriculture, the alternative available to large companies who want to produce more is to acquire land overseas.”
Sannati Group of Companies is one such group. It acquired on lease in October 2010 fertile land with virgin soil and access to unlimited water for irrigation in Ethiopia, one the company said had never been cultivated for a long time.
Apart from Ethiopia, Indian companies have acquired land in Cambodia, Indonesia, Madagascar, Kenya, Liberia, Tanzania, Sudan, Malaysia, Mozambique, Uganda and Zambia.
Comment
"Destroying the New World Order"
THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING THE SITE!
Latest Activity
- Top News
- Everything
Jupiter Med Bed System 2026 Overview and Quick Look! #medbed
🔷 Jupiter Med Bed System 2026 Overview & Quick Look 🔷👉 Learn more or order here: - 6-8 week lead time - Special pricinghttps://healthylifetechnology.com/p...
"Um err... is it whatever the brain believes it to be, will manifest. You know what, there really…"
The future of ai exposed in new ad 😱 *must see* #palantirtechnologies #ai #conspiracy
Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
Who was the Better Drummer Paul McCartney or Ringo?
In contrast to the earlier interviews with Paul McCartney before the alleged fatal car accident in…See More
THE END: 2046
Hello again my fellow travelers in life. Today, I will not delve into politics, the economy,…See More
"Just to show I am still around... :P"
The Undeclared Ongoing War With China
Just one day after meeting with President Trump in China. Xi Ji Ping has a meeting with Russian…See More
The US Federal Government Who is Really in Charge? Tulsi Gets Raided?
Just 24 hours ago the office of Intelligence Director, Tulsi Gabbard was raided by the CIA at…See More
The Latest Craze
Their demonic little waysThe news is just a biased arrayThe higher taxes they want you to…See More
A Banished Poet
"An interesting snippet from world poetry day this year to learn of the first poet excited from the…"
FB_IMG_1772349325558
"Good Point! Our Indo European friends in Iran gave the devil a good write down ( and Jesus a…"
© 2026 Created by truth.
Powered by
You need to be a member of 12160 Social Network to add comments!
Join 12160 Social Network