UAE: 2nd Commercial Farm Africa Summit

The 2nd Commercial Farm Africa Summit will take place in the fashionable Sheraton Dubai Creek Hotel and Towers between the 31 January – 1 February, 2012. The summit is one of the most pertinent of its kind, bringing together experts and entrepreneurs to explore the opportunities available for large-scale agri-investment in the emerging economies of Sub-Saharan Africa.

Sub-Saharan Africa holds 60% of the world’s available uncultivated land, and much of it is suitable for farming. The region is attracting massive interest from foreign investors, who are diversifying sovereign wealth and private equity funds into agricultural farmland investments across the subcontinent. The demand for fertile, uncultivated land with the potential for large-scale production is extremely high. This demand has necessitated the convergence of international and regional stakeholders to implement the plans for Sub-Saharan Africa’s agricultural future.

The 2nd Commercial Farm Africa Summit aims to address the opportunities available – and challenges encountered – by agri-investment agencies in the region. Along with farm/plantation investors and owners, attendees can expect to interact with asset management companies, investment banks, tax and legal firms, insurance companies, risk management consultants and agricultural fund companies. Expert guidance on an agricultural level is also available from fertiliser companies, seed suppliers, machinery companies, agrochem and biotech companies, irrigation industries, and government organisation and investment boards.

Developing agribusiness in Africa faces numerous challenges. Political instability, security of tenure, insufficient infrastructure and transportation systems, financial risk guarantees and infrastructural challenges have previously impeded growth in the region. However, these challenges have gradually been eroded by the coalition of agricultural firms, investment agencies, governmental departments and multinationals seeking to spearhead commercial production in the region.

The 2nd Commercial Farm Africa Summit focuses on global food security and sustainable development, with its key focus being investment projects in Ghana, Ethiopia, Zambia, Mozambique, Sudan and South Africa. Among the sustainability of the numerous cash crops explored, the summit will place particular emphasis on rice, sugar, palm and bio-energy plantations. The summit will explore the controversial state of land reclamation and utilisation practices, along with the latest modernisation and mechanisation farming practices.

The summit is a must-attend event for companies and governments seeking to address these challenges, as well as the key success factors to consider when embarking on an African venture.

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