Tanzania takes major step towards curbing land 'grabs'

http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/2012/dec/21/tanzania-major-step-curbing-land-grabs


Tanzanian NGO Land Rights Research and Resources Institute said that of the 1,825 general land disputes reported in 2011, 1,095 involved powerful investors. Photograph: Orton Kiishweko/IPS

From January 2013, Tanzania will start restricting the size of land that single large-scale foreign and local investors can "lease" for agricultural use. The decision follows both local and international criticism that major investors are grabbing large chunks of land here, often displacing small-scale farmers and local communities.

The permanent secretary in the prime minister's office, Peniel Lyimo, confirmed that the government would limit the amount of land leased to investors in this east African nation. Previously, there were no limits.

"For a large-scale investor who wants to invest in sugar, the ceiling has been put at 10,000 hectares [24,710 acres]. [The limit for] rice is 5,000 hectares. The ceiling for sugar is significantly higher due to the fact that it may also produce electric power," Lyimo told IPS. Sugarcane fibre is used in the generation of electricity.