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Asian coconut crisis could benefit Central and South America

PREDICTIONS of A crisis in coconut production in Asia could open markets for Central American producers.

The UN Agency for Food and Agriculture (FAO) is warning of an impending crisis in production in Asian countries which are majorglobal producers, due to aging plantations, whose yields have fallen from 100 coconuts per tree year, to just 40.

Sector productivity is increasing by 2% a year, while global demand is growing by 10%. In Asia, the coconut palm that characterizes the landscape from the Philippines to India, is facing a crisis because ageing palm crops are less productive, reducing the harvest of the commodity which is used in food, fuel, soaps and cosmetics.

It is estimated that the harvest in Asia Pacific is currently roughly forty coconuts per tree per year, compared with a potential yield of one hundred. This is because after sixty years, reforestation of the trees is advisable, and many were planted between 50 and 60 years ago, do not produce enough.

Meanwhile, it is considered a source of food and income for millions of people,

In the Philippines, for example, which has suffered massive destruction from typhoons, coconut exports account for 5% of GDP.
Other major producers are Indonesia and India.

http://www.newsroompanama.com/business/6697-asian-coconut-crisis-could-benefit-central-america.html

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Uruguay farmland law for foreign investments

Uruguay sends bill to parliament banning ownership of land by foreign companies or governments

The Uruguayan government sent a draft law to parliament Tuesday that would ban the ownership of land by companies if they are in any way linked to foreign countries. The measure states it “aims to avoid the risk of foreign states breaching the sovereignty of the Uruguayan state in the absence of appropriate regulations and occupying a significant position in agricultural activity.”

The country’s presidency, which announced the proposal, argued that land is a scarce and nonrenewable resource in Uruguay as it highlighted the economic importance of the agricultural sector.

According to the measure, ”some states participate (in land purchases) through companies and investment funds for agricultural production in order to provide food security to the populations of their countries.“

The proposed law seeks to have a ”deterrent effect” and cites legislation in Australia, New Zealand, Brazil and Argentina as precedents.

According to stats from Uruguay’s Ministry of Agriculture in the last twelve years the average price of a hectare of land has increased nine-fold from 385 dollars in 2002 to 3.472 dollars currently. In the last thirteen years 7.1 million hectares (out of a total of 16 million approx) have changed hands with a turnover of over 9 billion dollars.

http://en.mercopress.com/2013/11/13/uruguay-sends-bill-to-parliament-banning-ownership-of-land-by-foreign-companies-or-governments