China has asked apparently asked the Government permission to plant a jaw dropping 2 million hectares of jatropha for the production of biofuels, according to the Biofuels Association of Zambia (BAZ). It is unclear whether this latest request is related to this announcement. Depending on your position on the land and biofuels debate, this is the audacity of madness or hope.
Wednesday, 1 April 2009
6 comments:
All contributors should follow the basic principles of a productive dialogue: communicate their perspective, ask, comment, respond,and share information and knowledge, but do all this with a positive approach.
This is a friendly website. However, if you feel compelled to comment 'anonymously', you are strongly encouraged to state your location / adopt a unique nick name so that other commentators/readers do not confuse your comments with other individuals also commenting anonymously.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Wow! 50,000 jobs, almost same as the mining industry.
ReplyDeleteYour comment is too brief...it may mislead people :)
ReplyDeleteZambia needs a comprehensive policy framework regarding clean and renewable energy. While jatropha has some promise, the reality is that there are many other, likely more effective and less destructive options than jatropha.
ReplyDeleteIn addition, there is room for multiple technologies and feedstocks, and so the rationale of 2 million acres to jatropha does not make any sense.
Finally, as the 2 million acres will likely be cleared of its virgin vegetation for this effort, it confounds the climate change value of jatropha.
Sadly yet another example of the Government treating the assets of the people of Zambia like their own personal property.
1) What is going to happen to all the people who live on those 2 million hectares?
ReplyDelete2) Why China?
3) What does this mean for Zambia's sovereignty?
I think people should protest this. Until there is a government in place that has enough nationalism to allow Zambians to develop Zambia, there is no way this should go through.
There is no way China should be allowed to claim any kind of 'national interest' in Zambia, because of investments it made. Unless someone has forgotten, China is not a democracy yet. There is no way decisions that effect Zambia's sovereignty should be made in Beijing.
This has gone far enough. The MMD will sell the country out, just because they don't know how to develop it and 'believe in free markets'.
ReplyDeleteWhat is 'free market' about selling 2 million hectares of land to China??? Land that is held in custody for the Zambian people by the President. It is not his to sell.
Does this mean that China will 'fund' MPs and parties, the way the mining companies do?
This is completely anti-democratic. If the MMD does not know how to develop Zambia without selling down the river, they should resign immediately.
Hakainde Hichilema is right, the MMD has run out of ideas.
************
Rupiah's govt has become a liability - HH
Written by Katwishi Bwalya in Mazabuka
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
PRESIDENT Rupiah Banda's government has become a liability to the country for failing to respond to the challenges facing many Zambians, UPND president Hakainde Hichilema has said.
Addressing scores of Mugoto villagers who were displaced from their land by Munali Nickel Mine of Mazabuka on Tuesday, Hichilema said the MMD government had now reached a point of diminishing returns.
Read more...
***************
I hope this is the issue that finally removes the MMD from power. This selling off of assets has to stop. I'm beginning to think that they are trying to sell as much of Zambia as they can, before the 2012 elections.
First ZAMTEL, then the right to mine non-metals like sand, and now they want to sell off 2 million hectares of land.
This is not a party, this is a swarm of locusts.
MrK, This time round, I completely agree with your point of view. It seems our government is getting confused by the day. To imagine that Zambia CAN ONLY be developed by foreigners, bugs me.
ReplyDeleteIn any case - who is foolish enough not to realize that China is simply trying to acquire Zambian land/assets through a back door strategy? "Just package it as development assistance, Zambians would buy it". My God!