Investments In Africa- Is It Only a Land Grab??

Investments in Africa are quite often seen as merely land grab. The World Bank’s study released in September 2010 identified 45 million hectares under negotiation for allocation during 2009 alone, of which 70 percent (about 32 million hectares) was in Africa. A new study by the International Land Coalition suggests that the true figure could be much higher, at around 80 million hectares, 64 percent (about 50 million hectares) of these in Africa. The exponential rise of interest for investing in Africa is chiefly because of 3As- Agri, Area and Affordability. In 2007-08 fluctuation in global prices of commodity forced many food grain importing Nations to change their strategies. They started looking out for meeting their food demand through own production at foreign lands.

Steep rise and high fluctuation in oil prices has laid foundation for alternate source of energy. Few Agriculture produce have identified as potential source of energy. A large area needed to produce them for mitigating the expected demand.

Africa being in under-developed tag offers quite low price for lands, which allured investors to set their eyes for resourceful cheap lands largely for their agricultural operations.

Despite categorized in investors ideology of just land grabbing, Africa still attracts just less than 5% of global FDI projects. This low share of percentage showcases that it isn’t merely a race for land grabbing but of well sound business motives. Investors are choosing Africa because of

1.  733 Million hectare arable land, which can play a great role in world food security
2. Only 57-58% of agricultural productivity compared to their Asian and South American counterparts, sets opportunity for quality input suppliers
3. Big economies are at single digit growth rate, while Africa provides consumer side demand for over 1 Billion people
4. Cheaper labour availability
5. Availability of natural resources necessary for investment
6. Local policy and industrial facilitation

Business requires investments, in form of Land, human resource and many other business activities. Investor moving towards Africa because of cheaper lands, but this isn’t a sole reason for them to invest in Africa. A survey finding suggests that 88% of investors feels Africa is an attractive business destination for investment, compared to likelihood the actual investments are quite low. The root cause for this heavy difference is because of sound business plans. Investors want to invest in Africa with a long term vision. However, to avoid any land-grabbing interest local government can design policies to secure national resources.

 

Lets take a Pause

When things go left I move right- guess this is the phenomenon we often counter with. We breath same air, drink same water (except if you change the brand or mix it with some obnoxious material ). Our every morning to the time we enter in the dream world we have been repetitive in much of activities. Lets take a pause think thorough-

1) what is it that i like about me?

2) what is it that others like about me?

3) what is it that i could have did better today?

4) what is it that can make me what i wana be?

5) and yeah last but no least when you answer all the whats.. lets get through with the answers for all by asking how, when.

We often realize our strengths and get appraised for it. we often try to cover our weaknesses by our strengths. we are 99% reluctant to work on our weaknesses - carry an attitude like
 

1) I don't need it.

2) I am better than him.

3) He is fool- thats a silly thing spotting such of weaknesses in me, better he should have change in himself

.

Mind it guys, life is so simple if you know yourself and you behave exactly as others want. Peep into others mindset change your colors according to others mood and yeah you are through.

Every night just before entering into your lovely dream world have a meeting with yourself set your own goals do the analysis of what went today. and am telling you would everyday as a new day, you would feel every sip as a tastier water or every breath as lovelier air.

Just think thorough, think different everyday.

With Lots of Love,

Ankit

WHOM to BLAME????

Every now and than we hear people criticizing government, – Roads are not good, this is bad, Govt should do this and that. Top of that environment becomes so tidy that we are taken into a new world of criticism by our respected media. Just going through a thought in my mind whom I should blame – Government, Media, Anna, or many other gentleman like politicians, bureaucrats…
For god sake why don’t we understand a simple fact, we are the one who should be blamed :-
We made the Government and Government do everything to secure that vote bank (because that’s their job). Rushdie was so called banned because Government wants to secure their vote-bank which wanted Government to do so. Media hyped the matter because they were knowing this will boost their TRPs. There are thousands of such examples. Our support and fan-base made cricketers on the top and forced BCCI to choose them and now we blame they are useless. We put Anna at the Post of Bapu and then we say he is a politician.
Its all Business and we need to understand that we (citizen) are the client. and mind it any business is a client game. We choose government, We make stars, we make leaders. So at first case if some-one is to be blamed then its us who should take self onus for every situation.
Participate in voting, make your own government. Make your own judgement before viewing and making perceptions through any other medium. stop seeing rubbish on TV. Its not protests which can change the country its we who can change this country in a regular manner without making any extra effort. And, I tell you we is a combination of I, so if I gets changed everything would be changed.
But tell you one thing that we are not going to be changed we love reading Chetan Bhagat’s books and you know what only the page which contains sex-scene, We love the unsuccessful batsman giving tips to Sachin, We love politicians making controversies, We love doing strikes, we love making fun of serious situations.
Change yourself-think for others. Let this country feel proud of you.
Lets other feel the power of youth…
Thanks for your precious time in reading this…
With Love,
Ankit

Another terror attacks

I being an Indian very upset with dismal performance of Indian Judiciary system.. We cant hang the peole who brought dead to so much of innocent Indians...
We Indians are also behave in very timid way, we fight for corruption (the Great Anna Hazare/Baba Ramdev and what not), We fight for Telangana or other demands, We fight for but vulgarity in our movies... but i saw most of this fights are intentionally designed for the the selfish motive of few people and innocent people just gets evoked and support them for whatever reasons...

Thousands of Indians have died in terrorist attacks, but we could not fight for justice to their death, Americans put a strong example of how justice to be brought, but we will always be laggard and nothing can change us...

I really wonder when I see terrorist attack patterns in India or US/UK, in US/UKmost of these attacks there are done by suicide bombers, cz they know if they got caught , their all secrets for would be revealed as well as they would be punished in a way more than their worst nightmare but instead in India the terrorist just do their work and move freely cz they know if they got caught nothing gonna happen, no Indian can get the secrets or information from them, they will be relieved after few days, no punishment, VVIP treatment and what not....
I also heard in news that some of terrorist group also said if we will kill Kasab n Afzal they will do more severe attacks, I wonder what they have done when their big bosses like Saddam and Bin Laden have been brought to the justice, I feel these all excuses are always available with our Govt and they cant do anything until we pressurize to do that...
We even cant figure who is the person behind the attack ( referring to the CBI list of most wanted), Headly and Rana are moving freely cz we couldnt prove that they have attacked in India...
Sarcastically i would just say dont catch the terrorist cz i dont wana pay the taxes for their VVIP arrangements...
I feel very sorry for the people and their family who lost their lives.....
But Mind it we first need to come out of internal traumas and show this spirit to the terrorists so they can never dare to do this again....

Business vis a vis Life

Business is a process of give n take in lieu of some profits....

I strongly Believe so as life is, One act similarly as a company/firm in his entire life span...
Your friend/family/Colleagues or whosoever u interact, invest on you to reap out his share of profits/ returns...
All the decisions we take is similar of the decision making we follow in corporates, and directly impacts to your firm/company i.e. life...
Every company/firm always try to market their brand, the qulity, the advantages and so as we do we sell ourselves to different people in our life whosoever it is , in childhood to school teacher, in process of getting good admission to colleges, then Job, customers, boss, subordinates or what not, everybody sturggles to create his/her life as a brand, the one who succeds remembered as legends and the one who couldnt known as The Common Man...
A brand could be a regional/national/international so as human beings also... you know a person who is in your area is good known to your area but might not be to nation or internationally, but u remember the brand (that person), so as Nirma is known to us but rarely to Americans...

In starting days our parents starts investing in ourselves so that you could reap the return in their old ages (may not be directly but indirectly expecting you to deliver)...

A company/firm never dies so as your name (the brand), you would alws be remebered to the genera who has recognized you as  a brand...

In nut shell all i wana prove is everybody is a born Businessman, the one who recognizes this and follow the basic life principles in its artificial business becomes a successful businessman, So choose wisely and interpret every decision in with your life in your business/Job....

Tx

Intelligent Information for Indian Farmer

Imagine any business, let me write this way any damn profitable business...

Now list down what all it takes to make a business successful...I hope that would match with few of mine..

1) They know for what segment they are running the business

2) what is demand?

3) How to supply?

4) They know where to market?

5) They know what competition is pricing?

6) They know how increase productivity?

7) They know how to minimize costs?

8) They follow the risk minimizing tool, analysis etc...

and how they match with these criterion, one simple and two word answer that is Intelligent Information.

What is an intelligent information .. its an information which has power to influence the decision making ability in a profitable way..

Do you really think our farmer knows.. 

where to sell? 

how to sell? 

how to increase productivity? 

how to save costs?

what are the new technologies?

what to sow?

What is global demand of the commodity?

What is global, local production of the commodity?

What is the area under cultivation?

What Government is doing for them?

What more they can do?

So lets figure out how to tell him all these things so that he can also make his farming a business unit not a livelihood unit, and that piece of work can only be done by Intelligent Information, reaching at right time to a right person.. How to ensure the delivery of this so called Intelligent Information...

Historically, farmers have invented and shared technologies and practices related to agriculture informally. With increasing state control over agricultural production and a cash based agricultural economy, markets have become ever more important. The advent of the green revolution has also made agriculture input intensive and externally dependent. In order to address these new development challenges, state controlled extension services were strengthened. These services, however, were generally chemical input intensive, natural resource exploiting and addressed only the larger and predominantly male farmers’ needs. The needs and priorities of marginal, landless and women farmers were neglected in state extension support mechanisms and remained isolated from new technologies and agricultural methods.

The major constraining issue is that public extension services are not need based but supply driven. The top down planning rarely considers farmers’ needs or involves them in the planning process. The focus is on meeting targets and agricultural inputs only, while training and information are not imparted according to the crop cycle or likely to improve smallholder capacity and productivity.

In addition, despite the fact that women perform more than 70% of agriculture activities, the department of extension services has no clear strategy or implementation mechanism on how to involve women and channel appropriate information to them. In general, women are not recognized as farmers because they are not landowners (they are systematically denied land titles despite reforms in land laws). 

We all need to think rigorously how we can solve his needs of information and moreover how we can teach him the value of information.

Vibrant Gujarat

Truly impressed by the facets of Gujarat shown in the event, amazing efforts and investor friendly environment.

Read an article stating that 1/3 of India's GDP may get invested in Vibrant Gujarat Summit, what more one can look for. Going with current investments and projects Gujarat seems to get beyond the imaginations. Wow, Gujarat n Gujarat all the way but only one concern of mine is Gujarat balancing the growth between rural n urban, if have to go by words what Mr Modi has stated few days back yes it is but when going into a deeper analysis story is yet to be unfolded. I still feel CM Sir is providing many rebates and discounts to investors but for farmers i think farming is still not a business. Molding the farming from an activity to business is the task where things should turn around and that too in this rapid way which we have seen in industrial growth.