Miguel Pais do Amaral

Miguel Pais do Amaral is a businessman, Count, and amateur race car driver.

Land Grabbing in Africa
Through his Lisbon-based personal holding, Quifel Agribusiness, Miguel Pais do Amaral has bought 126 hectares of land in the Port Loko District in Sierra Leone. Oakland Institute "says the company's future plans are unclear. It claims it's producing food crops for local consumption. In its lease, it says the company to produce palm oil for agrofuel. Now it's testing cassava, pineapples, and rice. The land is also rich in minerals – particularly bauxite, gold, diamonds and iron ore. (An Australian mining company, Cape Lambert, currently holds an exploration lease on parts of the area for which Quifel holds surface rights.)" Additionally, "The company promised social and educational projects would be developed in the area. At this point, those are still plans. None of the landowners nor chiefs were given copies of the leases (the company arranged for an Attorney to negotiate and sign on their behalf). The rent that the company now pays the landowners doesn't cover the amount that they're now unable to make from farming."

Related Sourcewatch articles

 * Global Land Grab

External Resources

 * Food Crisis and the Global Land Grab

External Articles

 * Courtney Comstock, "Meet The Millionaires And Billionaires Suddenly Buying Tons Of Land In Africa," Business Insider, June 30, 2011.