Agricultural Land Investment Administration Agency has served 7 commercial farm developers with warning letters. The commercial farm developers who occupy 37,500 hectares of land in Ethiopia, are served with the letters for leaving land unutilized for so long.

The developers operate in 3 different states; Gambella, Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples (SNNP) and Benishangul Gumuz. The land they took ranges from 500 hectares to 10,000 hectares and they all have failed to bear fruit.

From the 7 developers, 5 of them are operating in SNNP State specifically across Omo. The companies are namely; Omo Valley Farm Corporation Plc, Gutit Farm Development Plc, Ayka Addis, Dasani Farm, Teame Farm and Dasench Farm. These developers occupy 35,500 hectares of land between themselves.

Among these 5 developers, Ayka received a final warning. Ayka, which is owned by Turkish investors, leased 10,000 hectares of land in a joint venture with a local investor from the State’s to source cotton materials from its textile plants.

Speaking about the Turkish company, Daniel Zebene, Communication Director of the Agency, said there was nothing on the land.

Source: Fortune