The United Nations is currently asking the international community to donate food for 2.8 million Ethiopians, and yet the so-called “Ethiopian government” sells fertile land to foreign investors to grow oil seeds and sugarcane for export.
Chandigarh, INDIA (PTI) — A group of Indian farmers in Punjab today said that they are going to grow pulses and oilseeds on 5,000 hectares of land in Ethiopia and import their farm produce to India.
“We will start cultivating 5,000 hectares of land in Ethiopia from September this year and plan to cultivate pulses, oil seeds, sugarcane and maize which are always in short supply (in India),” Confederation of Potato Seed Farmers (POSCON) secretary general Jang Bahadur Singh Sangha said here today.
Additionally, the group wants the government to exempt their farm produce in Ethiopia from duty when imported to India in order to curtail country’s dependence on import of such farm products.
“By bringing crops like pulses, oilseeds to India, we will help the country in making it self sufficient in these crops and ensure food security,” Sangha asserted.
They also want either the Union minister of agriculture or ministry of external affairs to support them in this endeavour by patronising the farming agreements.
Citing farming in Ethiopia as a ‘workable’ venture, 15 members of POSCON, the representative body of the state’s potato growers, have shown keen interest in cultivating land there he added.
Sangha said, “I have already visited Ethiopia twice along with other members of our association and found huge tracts of land available in there. Farming conditions (in Ethiopia) are also similar to what we have in India.”
Also, availability of land in Ethopia at much cheaper cost than in India encouraged farmers to cultivate the land in Ethiopia.
“Land is available for farming on lease of 25 to 45 years period. Moreover, in Ethiopia, the cost of land on lease is Rs500 per hectare, while in Punjab the cost varies between Rs25,000-30,000 per hectare,” he added.
Farmers have zeroed in on a few African areas, including Gambela and Oromia, for cultivating land.
Moreover, the Ethiopian government has promised to support farming by Indian farmers in every manner.
Last year, ministry of external affairs had arranged a meeting of representatives of several African countries, including Ethiopia, Uganada, Zambia, and Tanzania with Punjab farmers and these countries invited them to develop land and invest in agriculture.
34 thoughts on “Indian farmers head to Ethiopia”
The gov asked the local investors to farm, but most them they didn’t, what will you do? If you were part of the gov?
It is very sad that our hero ancestor King Yohannes ordered his troops to force the captured and captive Egyptian solders to dust their shoes before they leave Ethiopia to make sure that they do not take any Ethiopian soil with them to Egypt. Does he know that Abay River takes our top soil to sudan and Egypt every year but he showed us his love of his country and what it mean to be nationalist and love of your people and country more than anything else in this planet.
The traitor Meles Zenawi, made the country landlocked and forced our people to give up their annual produced cash crops for port fees in turn the price of consumer goods sky rocketed and untouchable to ordinary Ethiopians due to price hike by merchants to cover their cost they pay for port fees.
Meles exposed our country dignity for begging for years while our resources are being looted and exploited by the same regime for years.
Meles made Ethiopian youths the Arab maids and people give birth not send them to school but to ship them to middle Eastern countries for slavery.
Meles selling our fertile lands to other countries to feed their people while Ethiopians are being driven from their ancestral farming lands against their wish to appease foreign masters just to get bribes in dollars so that he can deposit them in foreign banks.
Meles purposely corrupted all Ethiopian bureaucracy in order to stay in power as he wishes.
What a shameful time we are in today!!!!!!
Indian landlords are legitimate target and we would like to warn them that TPLF will not provide 24/7 security for them. Ethiopians never sold their land for foreigners and the new landlords will soon learn that harvesting crop in Ethiopia is not easy at all. Indians you better stay away from Ethiopian land because this is a high risk investment even though you get our land in a dollar/hectar. You will get back a negative return even in short term because lives as part of an investment will be lost, do not forget body bags too.
#1
what gov are you talking about? Abunch of badits that kill and loot our people? Why do not you ask so called your gov to give your Tigray land?
Moreover, in Ethiopia, the cost of land on lease is Rs500 per hectare, while in Punjab the cost varies between Rs25, 000-30,000 per hectare,” he added.
This is where one area the Melese regime is pursuing destructive land allocating policy. First, the offer is too generous tor foreign farmers, some thing 5 times cheaper than what thy can find in India. Second, this opportunity need to be given first to Ethiopians before any one else .Ethiopians would love to farm in their country provided the government make the necessary accommodation to Ethiopian investers.It makes no sense for Melese to give away these fertile land for outsiders for peny,while Ethiopians go hungry every year. This is one issue where all opposition parties may have common ground to launch counter argument to government policy. The melese land for lease policy is short sided, in that it does not have an answer for any possible future ramification of the policy, such as invironmental, and resettlement problems. Ethiopia does not need her national policy to be crafted by one man-Melese.bb
Dear readers.
It is very shamful seeing such information and yet my dear bro and sis are on the head line for any help!!!
I was watching a documentary recentely about the world food supply, Ethiopia was one of the primary supplier of food to the world, saddly, ethiopia as well one of the country experiancing food shortage, does that make any sens to you!!!?
The system we are under made us a begger and the same system is telling us ” gov. couldn’t find local farmers…bla bla..
Please help me understand why the hell are farmers from India coming to Ethiopia while we live on food donation ? Does Ethiopia have lack of people who can plant potato, sugar cane and maze ?
there is some thing wrong here.
Indian farmers are heading to Ethiopia and Ethiopian farmers are heading to TPLF,s Prison. Thanks to the Tigrean Liberation Front!
i would give to ethiopian people or ethiopian diaspora, I am sure thy would do it. It is against the constitution to seel land to foreignéers. Nobody asked ethiopains ! Woyane is cashing on land sell eventhough it is illegal!
We meed to act like ONLF if we eant to defend our rights – nothing will convince the Mafia state of Meles that we are series, apart from use of force. We have to use violence against TPLF and its supporters and associates. Look how the world is begging Taliban to join the Afghan government!
#1 I would feed my people if I were the gov.
Mr. Anonymous,
Try to understand that these foreign companies are taking all what they produce to their country. Nothing is sold in Ethiopia for the poor people of Ethiopia. If these foreign famers were producing for the local market, that could have been correct investment in agriculture. But, they are taking away everything what they produce in Ethiopia.
The reason why Ethiopian investors are not investing in agriculture is becuase of the land policy of Woayne. There is no security of investment. The land can be taken back by the government or local ethnic chiefs. Woayne can not take property of foreighners eaisly as they will bring expensive law suits against it. So foreigners investors are secured than domestic investors (at least for now, not for the long-run).
What kind of government allows foreign farmers to produce and ship all the product to their country while the people are starving from shortage of food?
The right thing to do was to encourage domestic agricultural investors to produce for the local market.
#1. Anonymous says:
“The gov asked the local investors to farm, but most them they didn’t, what will you do? If you were part of the gov?”
…. What an ignorant question?
If I were not a thieve… If I were a responsible leader and transparent government:
– I would not force or dislocate the indigenous people to sale their land,
-I would not arrest or kill those farmers, who did not consent to abandon their ancestral land,
– If dislocation is a mutual agreement, I would enforce lifetime compensation to those farmers who consent to give their land,
– I would not lease the land for 100 years,
– I would not lease/sale a hectare of land for $l while it is $670 in India,
– I would not lease a land for flower production due to its irreversible depletion effect on fertile soil,
-I would not lease/sale a land for bioflue farming. Because, it will manipulate food price and will create man made starvation,
-I would not lease the land for rice production. Because it consume plenty of water and create dry weather,
– I would legislate advantageous labor laws which entitle the farmers decent wedge, health benefit, unemployment compensation…
– I would impose environmental regulation to prevent injury and poisoning from hazardous chemicals (do you remember the koka flower company that poisoned the water supply and killed plenty of residents?)
-I would not allow either of Al Moudi or Indians to export a price of banana to foreign land while 2.8 million Ethiopian children are starving,
– If I would, I would began by saling a land in Tigrai instead of south,
Dear Anonymous
Q. “The gov asked the local investors to farm, but most them they didn’t, what will you do? If you were part of the gov?”
A. Mr Meathead, “If I am part of the Government, then I will donate or give it away to whoever who wants it.”
For a smart question like yours, this is a smart answer.
Oh, really? Did it really ASK them? Tell me, are you from india? Cuz you seem to know nothing about Ethiopia…
It is as simple as this. Let this greedy Indians cultivate the land. Then those displaced farmers have to kill the investors and collect whatever is cultivated for themselves. No other investor will have the gut to visit that place again. PERIOD
Kill the goverment who is selling our land & people what else?
This is scary for Ethiopia. Woyane is playing game on the future of the next generation. The farmers whose land snatched will die in the next ten years time, byt the furture generation who has nothing to do with selling his father’s land will pay the price, he will wonder who did this him? Well, the answer somes back loud and clear, TPLF-WOYANE!
@Halafi Mengedi
IT WAS EMPEROR TEWODROS who ordered his troops to force the captured and captive BRITISH solders to dust their shoes before they leave Ethiopia to make sure that they do not take any Ethiopian soil with them to UK.
IT WAS NOT King Yohannes but EMPEROR TEWODROS!!!!!
Get rid off this arrogant minority government…
I am going to produce a documentary:
Title: Zenawi – The Primister who Lobby Against His Own Nation
Ethiopian land can only be plaughed by Ethiopians and Ethiopians only. The barbarian meles is starving our people while denying them the right to own their ancestorial land. Ethiopian farmers don’t own the land that our fore-fathers kept it from foreign greedy colonialists with their lives. Isn’t it a natural right for an Ethiopian to inherit his deserving piece of land? it is not a privlage but a right. is it the Indians or the chinese or the saudis that paid the ultimate price for our land to pass from father to son. Aren’t Atse Yohaness of Tembien and Enderta and Ras Araya dimtsu of Enderta along with their 15000 (fifteen thousand foot soldiers and caverly) paid the price with their lives from 9-10 march in 1889 at the battle of Metema? Both of Atse Yohaness (58 years old) and Ras Araya dimtsu (80 years old man) head were cut off and taken to Omdurman Sudan. They gave their lives so that Ethiopians can live with honor and dignity as the land is a tangible and the ultmiate proof of one’s independence, greatness and pride.
Meles and co. (the entire TPLF executive memebers) as well as Mehal sefari enablers with in the EPRDF are fair games to be elminated. I urge fellow Ethiopians especially men of Gonder, the sons of Atse Tewdros and fellow Tigrians especially the childrens of Atse Yohaness, Ras Araya dimtsu, Ras Alula Aba Nega (Enderta and Tembien) to take this matter very seriously. We have the responsibility and obligation to bring honor and dignity to our firercly independent Ethiopia. The time to act has come. Men of Gonder, Enderta and Tembien, the challenge is up on us, we need to live up to our responsibility. Adera alebin ye abatochachin/Hadera alena nabotatna !!!!!
On May 6, 2010 Mr. zenawi officially presented his own selfish, illusive, divisive and colonial land policy at World Economic forum with no shame. Zenawi, of course, confessed the reaction of the international community against his colonial land sale policy in Ethiopia.
He began by injected snake oil in front of the participants. In order to explain his view, he used similar approach to what the Italians adopted during the 1930s occupation era. He divided the Ethiopian people into “High Land”(Amharas and Tigres) and “Low Land” (except Amharas and tigres). Zenawi, of course, claimed himself as an advocate and protector of the “High Landers”. He attempted the “high landers” to develop false consciousness. He tried to manipulate them by using patriotic approach. He, of course, soothed Amharas and Tigrai to stay relaxed, comfortable, proud and not to worry as if Indians and Saudis came to feed them. He clearly said the land grab is active only in “low land” but the “high land” is exempt. Please watch
But all this is illusion. It is a strategy just to strengthen his support base. First of all, all land in Ethiopia belongs to every Ethiopian regardless of his ethnic origin or geographic location. It is the property to feed all Ethiopians as it used to be. I do not think Indians and Saudis were the one who produce and fed the people of Tigrai in the past centuries.
Second, whether Zenawi sympathized for “high Landers” or not, there is no so much land either in Tigrai or in neighboring areas to attract Indians, Arabs or Chinese. As the result, he succeed in convincing his base of support loyal to himself while consificating the fertile land that fed the rest of the nation. Even though, there is no land sale in the north, the food price is sky rocking . Today the Indians are busy of exporting crops which grew in Ethiopia while 2.8 Ethiopians both in the north and south are starving.
Yes, ZENAWI IS LIABLITY TO TIGRAI!
The bandits are selling our country to the highest bidders. It is upto us to stop them. We should get organized and remove the Woyane cancer from the Ethiopan political landscape. Moreover, I have a message to the greedy Indians – “YOU ARE NOT WELCOME BY THE ETHIOPAN PEOPLE AND THE PEOPLE HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO TAKE ACTION AGAINST YOUR ESTABLISHMENTS – THAT IS, TO SABOTAGE AND EVEN DESTROY THEM. IT IS BETTER FOR YOU TO STAY AWAY FROM ETHIOPIA.”
Again I repeat what I said time and again. I, for one, am ready to give my precious life to defend my country. I have had enough of life in exile — I am looking forward to return to my beloved country and join the FREEDOM fighters at LIBERATIION SQUARE and FREE my country from the Woyane gang.
The new colonizers
Only the fact that in Ethiopia it is said that the land belongs to the govt and not the people is sick enough. Governments come and go but the land and the people will always be there, so the land should belong to the people and the govts. role should be to distribute the land for use, equitably not to sell it, lease it or whatever for the personal gain of some elite. I recently saw a documentary about land sale around the world for the use of rich countries and what I saw happening in Ethiopia is really infuriating, even for a nonethiopian like me. Soon, ethiopians will not have a country they call their own!
Dear Olf and other LF´s,
Instead of talk too much about Emeye Menlik and language domination please unite and struggle against TPLF Mafia leaders for the poor and helpless Oroma and Gambella displaced farmers!
Ethiopia lezelalem Tinur!
My friends,
Allow these people to prepare the land; and when the government is replaced, void these contracts and repeat the rewards…
Maybe this is a hidden strategy.
It is in swedish languge with little amharic/english . documents about the land sale in Ethiopia
http://svtplay.se/t/103472/dokument_utifran
IF WE DO’NT ACT TIMELY, OUR BEING BEGGARS ON OUR LAND IS NOT FAR AWAY. THE EYES OF GREEN LAND THIRSTY ARABS AND OTHERS ARE ON ETHIOPIA. LET US ACT TOGETHER BEFORE THE SUN WILL NOT SET ON US !
Here is what will happen. The Indians will grow the crops but at harvest time the Ethiopians will harvest it for themselves and haul it away. otherwise the Indians in Indians will breed like rats down the road thinking there is still plenty of food to go around from Ethiopia. It will be like the Nile water that Egypt thinks it is all theirs and has an Jungle Army for invading Ethiopia. The UN and India might even protect the Indians from starving given a chance to leave Ethiopia peacefully after 45 years phase out. That is one scenario!
This is to His Excellency the Prime Minister of Ethiopia. I appeal to your inner thoughts and understandings. Please correct the definition of “Bereha”or desert. You have a wrong meaning what desert means when you were talking about the land your government was signing out to foreign contractors. The land you are giving to foreign contractors belongs to the local people and it is not desert.
Desert in the Ethiopia does belong to the people. For example most of the land in Afar might by sandy and has different kinds of plants, but to the local it’s beautiful and they are very nostalgic about it. Put yourself in the place of those people who belong to the areas you are giving away. And you would never call their land “desert.”
I am really ashamed when I heard you reasons why you were subletting the peoples land to commercial people. I know it may benefit the country temporarily but its long term effects are very devastating to the people health and our general environment.
As a young person you grew up in Adwa and Tigray. You had intensively traveled, dwelled among the people of the Northern Ethiopia for almost 39 years and you have a very good, clear and vivid understanding of the environmental destructions that took place in those places. When you let those companies farm those forested lands in the south you are practically encouraging deforestations. Ethiopia had lost most of her forests and you are currently accelerating the destruction of the remaining forests. Please reconsider your decisions and reverse them and leave a legacy to your children and the coming future generations.
Indians had destroyed their farm lands for the past several decades and their lands have been invested with herbicides and Chemicals and the current generations of Indian people in the country sides are suffering from cancerous diseases and still borns. And deformities among the children in some areas are very prevalent and you are wanting and importing such dangerous legacy to our poor people and wonderful land when you invite and contract business deal with Indian commercial farmers. Know that also those people do not care much for our poor people and poor country. Do not forget their psychological make ups and their rigid cast system. Those powerful Indian men of business just care for their money not for our people or environment or our next generation. Reminder the Indian commercial farmers are not idiot and they will not buy your “Beraha” they are shelling out their dollars to destroy our beautiful land and run away with their profits. Please do not tell us you are selling deserts. Your definition is wrong and your business decisions are absolutely destructive and myopic. You are calling the beautiful fertile land of the southern
people just to stop the international media from attacking your poor
slefish cash oriented sales. Even some coglamorate and general manageres are more compassionate than you and your cabinet members when
it comes to caring for the Earth and our global and local environment.
I know it is possible to teach and encourage the Ethiopian farmers to do the same job with little capital and credit and loans from your government. Or you can borrow money from international banks and distribute that amount to Ethiopian commercial farmers. Do not discourage those people who could make a difference. Use the powerful inputs from the populations that every year turns 18 years. Ethiopian mothers are blessed and they are blessing our country with 2000000 18 years old young men every year. Use these powerful hands to do the farming and development works. Keep the young men and women who have been ideal in many urban areas. Learn from European visionaries who came to Africa who had created wonderful
Forests lands that have been kept beautiful right at your back yard in Kenya. Go and take a look. They are not destroying, they are planting and practicing reforestations. You would have been the most caring for your mother land as an educated African leader but your ideas are the opposite. It is deeply dismaying.
I know you had planned to make the south Agricultural area but you may had good thoughts but your implementations are erroneous, dangerous, shortsighted and fruitless. Temporary cash is smoke screen and it never lasts long.
It so sad to see how jealousy kills . If the farming will do good for humanity why hate? Indians have been envied in Africa for centuries for their business acumen and agility. I have seen it first hand in Kenya where I am from, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia etc. Africans are jealous. When they see Indians do well they cant take it. SAD SAD SAD, U guys need to grow up. There is a reason . You guys think everything is forever. When you die Ethiopia will not go with you. You need to live your life and stop crying. The land is here for a use. Earth does not belong to you. You were born on Earth. Earth was here before you were born and will still be here after you die. You OWN NOTHING REMEMBER> STOP HATING PLEASE I HATE IT WHEN THIS HAPPENS ITS JUST SO FUNNY
Big man replies:
June 17th, 2012 at 6:54 PM
well said brother I feel you man