By Claudia Parsons
The Republic of Congo expects to finalise a multimillion hectare land deal with South African farmers by the end of this year, Congo President Denis Sassou-Nguesso said on Tuesday.
The deal, initially meant to give South African farmers 10-million hectares (24.7-million acres) of land to grow maize and soya beans, raise poultry and run dairy farms, was delayed by Congo's elections in July, won by Sassou-Nguesso.
First drafted as a 99-year lease, the deal could be one of the largest of its kind in Africa, where countries with more developed agricultural systems are seeking to expand in a trend advocates say will help modernise farming in poorer countries.
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'... the deal could be one of the largest of its kind in Africa' Sassou-Nguesso said in an interview he had spoken to South African President Jacob Zuma in New York, where both were attending the United Nations General Assembly.
Sassou-Nguesso said they discussed him making a state visit to South Africa before the end of the year, and he hoped to finalise the land deal on that occasion.
"We think this might happen before the end of this year," he said, adding that nothing had been finalised.
In August, the oil-producing central African nation said the deal needed to be changed as there were misunderstandings and the project risked depriving local farmers of land.
Asked whether the deal would still involve between 8-million and 10-million hectares of land, Sassou-Nguesso said: "We will only know exactly the numbers once our contracts are completed. It's not a closed number, this can change."
'South Africa for example can eventually import electricity from the Congo Basin' Scramble for land
South Africa has one of the most developed agriculture sectors on the continent and its farmers are looking to expand into other countries. They are joined in the scramble for land by rivals from Italy, France, Turkey, China and Israel.
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