AgriSA said the government of the country, also known as Congo Brazzaville, wanted to improve food security.
Until now, Congo – which like the bigger Democratic Republic of Congo
has been beset by political and ethnic tension in recent years – has
had to import 99 percent of its food, mainly from France, Theo de
Jager, deputy president of AgriSA, said.
The South African farmers would be able to lease the land for free for
99 years, De Jager said. Other enticements include a five-year
"holiday" on corporate tax and the dismantling of taxes on the import
of agricultural inputs, such as seeds, fertiliser and machines, De
Jager said.
The farmers will be allowed to take all their profits out of the
country and, although the project is being billed a food security
initiative, are under no obligation to sell their output on the
domestic market.
De Jager said that food prices in the Congo are high, making it
attractive for farmers to sell their products there. Some 1 300 farmers
have shown interest in transplanting themselves; the first of these are
expected to settle in the country after June. Among other things, they
will grow maize, soya, cotton and coffee. Poultry and cattle farms are
also planned.
The Cape Times/SAPA/dpa
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