Collective Tany: demand for transparency on the sales of land

How many hectares of land are now owned by foreigners in Madagascar and who are they ? Such is the question that the Collective for the Defense of Malagasy land, the collective Tany, wants to get answers to. This association has submitted to the highest Malagasy authorities a petition demanding more transparency and action from the latter concerning the sales of land to foreigners in Madagascar.

The Collective Tany declared that « no concrete decision or measure to prevent evictions of Malagasy families from their own lands has yet been taken by the succeeding authorities for a couple of decades now, while the majority of those families have no recourse ». The members of the Collective Tany added that « the authorities must establish transparency on the details of land sales by stating the sale or the lease term, the names of buyers or tenants, the surface leased or sold, the nature of the planned production, the destination of the products, etc. »

They also warn the public opinion about the thousands of displaced peasant families, losing their means of livelihood, because of these sales and rentals at dramatically low prices. This is particularly the case in Nosy Be, Nosy Mitsio, and Nosy Iranja, according to the expanation of the Collective. As an example, some French nationals confessed they acquired their lands at 2 Euros per square meter.