Commodities

China was the main recipient of the US president’s punitive measures during his first administration – this time a host of key agricultural exporters are also in the firing line.

The Dellapool acquisition sees GoFarm double down on its strategy of securing large volumes of water entitlements in the face of government buybacks.

The acquisition of the Budwood Citrus aggregation marks Warakirri’s first exposure to New South Wales for the Diversified Agriculture Fund.

Despite – or perhaps thanks to – their strategic appeal to global investors, Australia and New Zealand remain among the most restrictive countries in the OECD for foreign direct investment in agriculture.

Private Australian buyers have snapped up sizeable portfolios from asset managers including Proterra Investment Partners and Laguna Bay Pastoral Company in recent years.

The country is not alone in observing subdued growth in farmland values and annual cropping outperforming its permanent counterpart, as these trends take hold in the US too.

The US may have an outsized influence on investment trends in the year ahead as Donald Trump casts his shadow over global conflicts, trade and climate issues.

The international export market could play an increasing role in the Australian grape, berry and citrus supplier’s business going forward.

Incoming NZ Super Fund joint chief investment officer Will Goodwin talks with Agri Investor about the future of New Zealand’s sovereign wealth fund, its plans to transform farmland, and the fund’s total portfolio approach.

Categorization, commodity risk and accessing scale are among the issues Australian superannuation funds cite when it comes to investing in agriculture – but foreign pension funds do not appear to have the same misgivings.