debt

Hurdles remain, but opportunities in ESG investment, private credit and from foreign investors point to enormous potential in Australian agriculture.

Managing partner David Chattleton says larger pools of capital are ‘slowing coming back to agriculture’ after a few years away.

Thera Capital Management’s Mark Allen outlines the opportunities available for private debt investment in agriculture.

AgroFresh CFO Graham Miao says a partnership with Paine Schwartz could be helpful beyond the company’s immediate focus of deleveraging its balance sheet.

Oxley Capital Partners founder Ben Craw says new opportunities are emerging as covid-19 disruption plays out.

The sector’s pandemic-related challenges are unlikely to impact credit ratings of Farm Credit System institutions or rated commercial banks active in agriculture, says managing director Julie Solar.

Placement agent First Point Equity is working with a US-based GP that is raising a private credit fund for farms with liquidity constraints caused by the pandemic.

Founder of ‘crowdfarming’ platform says a need for portfolio resilience and desire to directly source fresh produce from local producers is drawing venture capital investors to sustainable ag.

Investments made by its ag fund – which seeks opportunities created by dislocation, while continuing to distance itself from a ‘special situations’ tag – will be the most telling factor in the strategy’s objectives.

Chief investment officer Geert Peetermans says the change reflects a natural evolution towards investor-favorable structures within the rapidly developing impact investing market.