"Farming revolution needed" as experts predict crop price surge in 2010

Online, January 6, 2010 (Newswire.com) - Stronger demand, fuelled by global economic recovery, will provide the main source of pressure for crop price increases in 2010, the IMF said. Prices are also likely to stay high in the long term, fuelling further expansion in many commodity sectors.

"Demand is expected to continue rising at a solid pace as industrialisation continues in emerging and developing countries," IMF analyst Thomas Helbling said. The British government said this growing demand, as well as other threats such as climate change, mean a "farming revolution" is needed.

"Food security is as important to the world's future wellbeing as energy security. We need to produce more food. We need to do it sustainably," the environment secretary told farmers at a conference in Oxford.

Joseph Upchurch, Managing Director at Aston Lloyd Agri-Commodities, an agricultural land investment company, agrees: "The world is losing productive arable land at the rate of one hectare every seven seconds, and to keep up with the booming population we need to start turning land agriculturally productive once more, as well as using modern technology to increase crop yields in developing countries."

Aston Lloyd Agri-Commodities is currently running an investment program in the "bread-basket" of Europe, Ukraine, focusing on developing arable land to meet modern challenges, using a local farming company and allowing investors a share in the grains sold at harvest, as well as capital gains on the increasing value of land in the country.

"Ukraine has the potential to be at the centre of this farming revolution. 70% of its land is arable land, and it lies in the rich black earth chernozem belt, giving it prime soils and an ideal climate." Joseph Upchurch continues, "Land in fully developed regions such as the UK or US is extremely expensive, so investing in Ukrainian land offers clients access to the agriculture boom as well as the opportunity to help feed the world."

For more information on Aston Lloyd's Ukrainian Land Project, download the project brochure for free here: http://www.astonlloyd.co.uk/ukrainebrochure-sp/