(LUSAKATIMES) Don’t give too much land to a single Investor, Govt advised

Don’t give too much land to a single Investor, Govt advised
Tuesday, May 12, 2009, 12:53

Kasama diocese Bishop, Spaita Mwewa has advised government against allowing large portions of land in Northern Province to be given to a single investor intending to embark on growing bio-fuel crops.

Bishop Spaita, who was in Samfya over-the-weekend to attend the funeral of late Senior Chief Mwewa, said that he has come across a document outlining plans to give 100,000 hectares of land to a single investor in the Northern Province for bio-fuel crops.

The bishop said the land has not yet been given, but there is 500,000 hectares in a named chiefdom of Mpika and another 500,000 hectares elsewhere intended to be given out to a single investor to produce Jatropha for bio-fuel.

“I have come across a report indicating that 500,000 hectares in one chiefdom of Mpika and another 500,000 somewhere that is planned to be awarded to an investor for growing Jatropha,” he said.

The clergymen said he is worried that once such large portions of land are given to a single investor, a lot of local people will be displaced and in the end get reduced from landowners to landless labourers for a private entity.

He said government should protect the interests of local small scale farmers by empowering to grow bio-fuel crops which in turn they can sell to the investor, instead of allowing a large portion of land to be given on a 99-year lease to a single investor.

“We want to explain why our people cannot be given means to produce Jatropha and sell to these investors rather than giving out land on 99 years lease to these investors,” Bishop Spaita said.

ZANIS