Local private sector company, Bhatibangla Agrotech, is going to sign a land-lease deal with Tanzania next week to produce crops in the East African country. "We're going to submit our proposal and working plan to Tanzania Agriculture Partnership Department on Friday and it's expected that the process will be completed within a week," Mizanur Rahman Azad, chief executive officer of Bhatibangla Agrotech, from Tanzania on Thursday.
"Initially, we would like to take on lease 30,000 hectares of land for 99 years with per annum cost of Tk 135 per hectare. We want to start the cultivation on June 10." Mizan said they had a plan to have 2.0 to 2.5 million hectares of land in Tanzania for cultivation.
"I discussed other major issues, including permission to grow any crop, procurement of farmers and seed from any country, repatriation of profit, and provision of loans," the Bhatibangla official said. Mizan said there were scopes to take on lease lands in South Sudan, Kenya, Zambia, Uganda and Mozambique. "If land can be taken on lease in those countries, Bangladesh will need not to worry about food security for many years," he said.
A foreign ministry official said a business delegation last month visited Uganda and completed primary negotiations to take on lease 10,000 hectres of land. "Agriculture ministry is going to prepare a guideline for taking land on lease for farming in foreign countries," he said.
"Initially, we would like to take on lease 30,000 hectares of land for 99 years with per annum cost of Tk 135 per hectare. We want to start the cultivation on June 10." Mizan said they had a plan to have 2.0 to 2.5 million hectares of land in Tanzania for cultivation.
"I discussed other major issues, including permission to grow any crop, procurement of farmers and seed from any country, repatriation of profit, and provision of loans," the Bhatibangla official said. Mizan said there were scopes to take on lease lands in South Sudan, Kenya, Zambia, Uganda and Mozambique. "If land can be taken on lease in those countries, Bangladesh will need not to worry about food security for many years," he said.
A foreign ministry official said a business delegation last month visited Uganda and completed primary negotiations to take on lease 10,000 hectres of land. "Agriculture ministry is going to prepare a guideline for taking land on lease for farming in foreign countries," he said.
