03/08/2011 (Afrique En Ligne) - Congo palm oil complex - Malaysian oil palm giant, Atami, is to invest 150 billion FCFA in an agro-industrial oil palm complex in Congo that will produce some 900,000 tonnes of palm oil per annum, an official of the Congolese agriculture and livestock ministry told PANA on Monday.

The source said the Congolese government had adopted a draft decree authorising the Malaysian company to take over a state land reserve of 180,000 hectares in the north of the central African country for palm tree cultivation.

'The Malaysian Company, Atama, one of the world's leaders in the production of palm oil, has decided to invest in palm oil cultivation over a landmass of 180,000 ha, or 140,000 ha in the Cuvette and 40,000 ha in Sangha in the north,' the source said.

Congolese agriculture minister, Rigobert Maboundou and the minister of land affairs, Pierre Mabiala on 17 December 2010 signed an agreement in Brazzaville with the managing directors of Atama Plantations Sarl and Atama Resources Inc, Chua Seong Yong and Robert Tan, 'expressly authorising' the occupation of the land reserve.