Konglomerat bisnis Korea Selatan, Daewoo, menyewa lahan sangat luas di negara Afrika, Madagaskar. Daewoo Logistics menyewa tanah seluas setengah luas Belgia untuk ditanami tanaman pangan. Lahan itu dimaksudkan untuk membantu negara tersebut mengamankan persediaan pangannya. Berikut laporan Martin Plaut:

Dengar ceritanya

Daewoo says it will grow corn and palm oil on huge tracts of Madagascan farmland that the company has leased for 99 years. This ambitious scheme will cover 1.2 million hectares and is part of South Korea's plans to ensure its access to food supplies in the coming years.

The scheme is designed to provide more than half the country's imports of corn when it's fully operational in fifteen years' time.

A number of Asian countries have been attempting to ensure their access to food supplies since unrest over food broke out earlier this year. And some African countries have been keen to receive overseas investment. Angola has offered farmland for development and Ethiopia's Prime Minister, Meles Zenawi, said he is eager to see foreign companies take a stake in his country's agriculture.

Martin Plaut, BBC

Dengar kata-katanya

huge tracts
lahan yang luas, hamparan lahan

leased
menyewa secara syah dalam jangka waktu tertentu

ambitious
ambisius, tinggi dan sulit dicapai

its access to food supplies
memiliki cukup bahan pangan

designed
dirancang

fully operational
beroperasi penuh, bekerja hingga mencapai kapasitas penuh

unrest
keresahan

broke out
mulai berlangsung mulai terjadi, mulai pecah

is eager to see
sangat menghendaki

take a stake
memiliki andil, menanam saham