A group of mostly white commercial farmers from Zimbabwe have offered "big money" if the Mozambican government allows them to obtain farm land in central Mozambique. South Africa´s SAPA news agency on Thursday quoted Maputo's land minister Helder Muteia saying that the group had recently approached Maputo authorities with the offer, seeking permanent settlement in Mozambique on 400,000 hectares of land.

For the past year, neighbouring Zimbabwe has faced a violent, wildcat landgrab of largely white-owned farms, with public support from President Robert Mugabe´s government. Muteia reportedly said that Mozambique should be careful to avoid "importing" Zimbabwe´s agrarian reform problems. Under Mozambique´s constitution, all land belongs to the state but may be leased for long, fixed-term periods.