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Zambia woos foreign farmers with free land offer


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LUSAKA, Zambia (Reuters) -- Zambia's central bank governor on Friday tried to woo foreign farmers, including white landowners forced to leave Zimbabwe, to the country with an offer of free land in a bid to revive the agricultural sector.

Food shortages have affected a number of countries across southern Africa in the past two years, increasing governments' eagerness to attract commercial farmers with access to the capital needed to create large, productive farms.

"There are two areas where a total of 200,000 hectares of farmland is ready for occupation," central bank governor Caleb Fundanga told journalists. "The government is ready to give farmers from 50 hectares to 2,000 hectares depending on the size of the land they want."

He hopes crops such as vegetables and roses will reduce Zambia's dependence on copper and cobalt mining.

Treasury data shows that 70 percent of Zambia's arable land is not being used.

Fundanga said some established farms were also up for sale or lease to interested investors, but gave no further details.

He said Zambia had invited over 100 foreign and local farmers to an agricultural investment conference starting on Monday in a bid to boost the agricultural sector.

Growing numbers of white farmers have already settled in Zambia, bringing more than $100 million in investments with them, a Zambia Investments Centre official said last month.

Many white commercial farmers have left Zimbabwe since the President Robert Mugabe's government began a programme of seizing land for redistribution to landless blacks, often accompanied by violent farm occupations.

Neighbouring Mozambique has opened its doors to around 60 commercial farmers fleeing Zimbabwe, hoping to shore up its rural economy, infrastructure and tackle dire poverty.

"We are trying to encourage agriculture so that it can complement foreign exchange earnings from mining. We would like the farmers to grow export crops such as maize, vegetables and roses," Fundanga said.

Zambia is emerging from a severe food shortage that affected more than 14 million people at its peak earlier this year. The impoverished country has put agriculture at the top of its agenda, seeking to boost output and farming skills.



Copyright 2003 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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