Emerging Markets

Bessemer Venture Partners, Helion Advisors, Zodius Capital and Ascent Capital joined Abraaj in the funding round for fresh food online supermarket BigBasket.

Aquila Capital will hold a close on its forestry fund, Aquila Sachwert Basisfonds I, in the middle of the year, and is looking at satellite investments in Latin American countries like Uruguay.

The company hopes to expand use of its precision agri platform from 140,000 to 1m acres in 2016.

The company plans to produce biofuel from sweet sorghum, which is less subject to market volatility than corn or sugar.

The EBRD and FAO are working to highlight the growth opportunities in Georgia's investment-starved dairy sector.

Norway's Government Pension Fund Global pulled out of seven companies last year on environmental grounds.

The agri sector is bucking the country's overall economic crisis and there are large discounts available, but there is still plenty of fiscal and political risk.

Hemp-focused private equity firm General Hemp is a cornerstore investor in Medical Marijuana, which plans to use the funding for clinical trials and expansion into Latin America.

The early stage company-focused fund should be fully deployed by 2017, while the launch of a second fund is expected in mid-2016.

Intensive farming and over-use of inputs has polluted much of China's agricultural land, which has depressed yields and farmer income.