Increasing Agricultural Productivity:
Encouraging Foreign Direct Investments in the COMCEC Region
71
business climate and its reasonable ability for agriculture.97 In terms of suitable business and
investment climate for FDI, the top ranking countries are Turkey and Malaysia. Although Turkey
does not have as much unutilized agriculture land as countries like Iran and Mozambique, due to
the very conducive business and investment environment, it features prominently as a potential
destination for FDI in the agricultural sector.”98 It is interesting to note that Sudan, which is a
preferred destination for agriculture FDI, especially from Gulf investors, ranks among the lowest
in “suitability” among the COMCEC Member Countries.
Figure 32: Relative Potential of the COMCEC Member Countries to Attract FDI in the
Agricultural Sector
Source: Suleman (2009)
ay indeed understate Turkey’s attractiveness as an agriculture investment
destination, since, as Suleman points out, “In countries with limited land availability, there may
exist excellent agriculture projects that could yield high returns on investments. If the other
issues surrounding the investment are easily resolved, then such countries may be among the
early recipients of FDI in the agricultural sector.”
A May 2012 report by PWC99 identifies food and beverage processing, agricultural R&D, and
alternative energy as industries with the potential to become “centers of excellence” within the
97 Suleman (2009)
98 ibid., p. 823.
99 PWC(2012), “Turkey in 2041: Looking to the Future,” May 2012.