Ataon’i Andry Rajoelina varoboba i Madagasikara : 30 Fmg ny m² !

gary dit :

CHANDIGARH : Aussi étrange qu’elle peut retentir, la nation d’île du Madagascar, située outre de la côte du sud-est de l’Afrique, tire des fermier-entrepreneurs dans de grands nombres le breadbasket, du Pendjab et le Haryana de l’Inde.

Non. Ils ne sont pas les riches achetant vers le haut des villas de luxe dans les lieux exotiques. Ils sont ceux aspirants qui comptent frapper la saleté de salaire car les autorités dans l’ancienne colonie française louent dehors la terre pendant 50 années ou plus aux prix aussi bas que $15 (presque `690) par acre par an pour les fermiers habiles de l’étranger. Au cours de ces dernières années, ces nouveaux migrants du berceau de la première révolution du vert de l’Inde ont cultivé le maïs, les légumineuses et les arachides, et regardent pour essayer de nouvelles variétés de récolte là.

Tandis que le Madagascar, qui a ouvert son économie récemment, dur-se vend pour attirer les fonds d’outre-mer et les qualifications à travers des secteurs avec des concessions, les entrepreneurs tels que Gurcharan Singh, 57, de Zirakpur au Pendjab se voient pendant que les bénéficiaires énormes de ceci donner-et-prennent la mesure. « Pour moi il est comme un rêve viennent vrai, » dit l’ancien dirigeant d’armée.

Il y a deux ans, il a loué 500 acres chez Diego-Suarez, 300 kilomètres de la ville capitale du Madagascar, Antananarivo. « Je payerai $15 par acre par an pendant les 50 années à venir. En Inde, je pourrais ne jamais imaginer avoir tellement la terre pour ce prix, « dit Singh, qui a semé le maïs et les arachides dans sa ferme. Le loyer pour la terre cultivable au Pendjab s’étend entre $400 et $1.000 par acre par an.

Comme Gurcharan Singh, 61 ans Ajit Singh Mondair de Hoshiarpur sont également devenus amoureux du Madagascar en excursion qu’il a fait il y a quelques années pour examiner des terres de ferme.

Mondair, qui s’était juste retiré de l’Armée de l’Air indienne alors, a immédiatement loué 500 acres. « J’étais au Madagascar pendant 15 jours et ai trouvé le pays tout à fait paisible. Alors j’ai acheté la terre environ 300 kilomètres loin de la ville capitale. Ce pays a certaines des meilleures plages. Je crois que l’affaire était bonne. J’ai semé le maïs ici, « dit Mondair.

Vous pourriez entendre que semblable amour-à-premier-apercevez les histoires, principalement grâce aux sucettes données au compte-gouttes dehors par gouvernement du Président Andry Rajoelina’s, des fermier-entrepreneurs tels que Phool Singh Saini de Derabassi, Harman Singh Dhaliwal de Ludhiana et Surjit Singh de Fatehabad, qui sont tous les locataires à long terme de grands morceaux de terre au Madagascar. L’agriculture explique 30% du PIB et utilise environ 75% de la main-d’oeuvre au Madagascar.

L’histoire de la migration de fermier

sûre, de la région comportant le Pendjab et le Haryana n’est pas nouvelle à la migration des fermiers aussi bien que d’autres ouvriers habiles et non qualifiés. Les fermiers du Pendjab ont commencé à émigrer à des pâturages plus verts dès le 1850s. Plus tard en 1901, un exode important des fermiers a eu lieu, principalement de Ludhiana, de Patiala et de Jalandhar, aux terres stériles près de Lahore, maintenant au Pakistan, où le gouvernement britannique régnant du temps a établi des « colonies de canal ». Dit M Rajivlochan, professeur de l’histoire, université de Panjab : « Ces colonies ont obtenu de grandes terres stériles sous l’irrigation de canal. Autrement, Punjabis étaient en grande partie des commerçants ou des guerriers, mais pas des fermiers. It was in 1901 Punjabi farmers largely realised the agriculture potential lying in faraway lands.

And by the 1950s, farmers started migrating to the US and Canada. » He, however, says migration among farmers to overseas shores in other states such as Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Bihar started much earlier, in the 16th century, during the time of Mughal emperor Akbar. Interestingly, in this latest phase of migration from the Punjab-Haryana belt, though Madagascar is the hot destination, farmers are trundling to other African countries as well, including Kenya, Ghana, Namibia and Ethiopia, all looking for the right farming skills and modern practices to boost agricultural output to combat abject poverty in parts of the continent.

The Great African Market Place

Corporates are increasingly looking to make the most in Africa as governments scour for highly skilled talent, especially in the continent’s vast farm land, to modernise and progress. Several companies, many of them Indian, are eyeing a share of the industry pie and have set up shop in Madagascar and neighbouring countries. Incidentally, even reputed economists such as Nouriel Roubini have suggested that fund managers choose the less-crowded African market where business opportunities and potential are on the rise.

As luck would have it, in the past few months alone, as many as 10 Indian firms, including Varun Global Agriculture in agriculture, Essar Group in oil and gas, Jindal Industries in limestone, Bharti Airtel in telecommunications and Varun International in petroleum and gold mining, have established presence in this small country in the Indian Ocean which has 55 airports and 15 seaports. Also, companies such as Parle Agro and Ruchi Infrastructure are in talks with the Madagascar Investment Promotion Board to strike deals. SS Johl, former president of the Indian Society of Agriculture Economics and former vice-chancellor at Punjabi University, Patiala, feels that countries such as Madagascar and others could be « effective grain-production pockets » for Indian farmers who can lease hundreds of acres at nominal prices.

At Home, Shift in Priority

Clearly, with farming in Punjab and Haryana steadily becoming expensive due to a series of factors — high land prices, fall in agriculture land holdings, shortage of labourers and high cost for migrant labourers — farmer-entrepreneurs are being forced to tap into newer markets. With the success of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act in both states, farmers have to depend on labourers from states such as Uttar Pradesh and Bihar during the sowing and harvest seasons. « We had to woo them with all sorts of offers, ranging from mobile phones, TVs and liquor. Even their wages have risen manifold, » says Lohara Singh, a farmer from Banur in Punjab.

More importantly, there is a growing tendency on the part of state governments, especially in Punjab, to focus aggressively on industrialisation. According to a letter sent recently by the state government to the centre, Punjab’s water table has gone down by an average of 10m between 1999 and 2009. « The ground water level, which stood at 12.80m in 1999, has dipped to 29.14m and in certain cases it has even touched as low as 30m, especially in central Punjab, » the letter says.

Much to farmers’ anguish, the ownership holding of agriculture land is on the slide in Punjab. Says Johl: « At present the figure is less than 3% (of the total land holding in the state). A reverse trend has started: smaller farmers who no longer find farming lucrative enough are renting out (land) to larger farmers. » Worse, agriculture land once converted for industrial use can never be used for farming purposes again, he warns.

Roads to Virgin Wilderness

Without doubt, Gurcharan Singh is happy being in Madagascar. « Already many farmers have started growing pulses and I have started exports from Madagascar. Organic farming can be a good business in the near future here. Besides tourism, animal husbandry can be another major business activity, » he says, hopeful of the expanding possibilities in his new turf.

Entrepreneurs from other segments in the state are excited, too. « The country (Madagascar) has just woken up to globalisation and it will need every sort of supporting infrastructure: right from schools, colleges, organic farming, breweries, cement companies, brick kilns, etc. I am contemplating opening an education venture there, though it is too early to talk on that. But we are quite serious as people there so far either spoke in Madagascar or French, now they have started realising the need for English, » says Sharad Kamra, Director of IICE, a Chandigarh-based computer education institute.

RP Singh, Director-General, Madagascar Investment Promotion Board, says the country is chasing foreign investment in a lot of sectors other than agriculture. « Investment is also open in sectors such as light manufacturing, infrastructure, pharmaceuticals, education, hotels and resorts. Mining is also a popular investment sector as there are huge reserves of oil, gas, petroleum, uranium, gold, diamonds and sapphires here, » Singh said.

Clearly, there is high hope. And it seems, for the qualified outsider, there is an island of opportunity out there!

Alidera A.R. dit :

Izao rehefa zatra mpihinan’ny ambaniny e!
Andevolahy mahita fotsim-bary hoy ny Ntaolo ka manao rapa-dango! Izay hita rehetra amidy…
Tsy ny olona rehetra te itondra an’i Madagasikara no afaka hitondra e!