Coronavirus

Founder Josh Lessing says the mixture of ag and robotics focused investors contributing to Root AI’s $7.2m seed round feel the same sense of urgency from different perspectives.

Favorable climatic conditions have set up a bumper grains crop in Australia. But ANZ warns the sector should prepare for ‘the confluence of major global factors’, including covid-19.

Big Idea Ventures' portfolio companies have also fared well on the fundraising trail, as the firm plots a successor $250m vehicle to its debut $50m fund.

As the pandemic heightens food security anxieties – and just-in-time supply chains suffer – we catch up with Fiera Comox’s Matthew Corbett and Boston Consulting Group’s Benjamin Subei to discuss how the outbreak will impact the asset class’s growth trajectory.

Income returns strengthened significantly despite the fall in capital returns, due to strong export demand for Australian products.

The manager has lowered the fundraising target for its Australian Farmlands Fund due to restrictions on movement, but says investor appetite for assets remains strong, especially overseas.

Senator Jane Hume, assistant minister for superannuation, argues that the early super withdrawal scheme has gone ‘exceptionally well’ to date with only 0.5% of the whole system’s assets withdrawn.

Meat-processing facilities have been identified as hot spots for coronavirus outbreaks since the early stages of the pandemic. The negative impact of this association will have long-term effects.

MIRA’s head of agriculture talks to Agri Investor about sustainable farming in the wake of covid-19, and provides an update on fund deployment and plans for a fourth fund.

The federal government plans tighter restrictions on foreign investment in a range of sectors from 2021 – but agriculture will revert to its pre-covid regime.