Europe

Peter Berwerger, already a member of Paine’s Portfolio Excellence Platform, has assumed the role of chief executive at AgBiTech after having held the same role with Paine’ irrigation company.

A large majority of producers already have trouble hiring seasonal workers and expect price hikes to kick in soon, according to a report by the sector’s industry body.

Andromeda and Mubadala have secured majority stakes in Nireus Aquaculture and Selonda Aquaculture from a consortium of Greek banks.

The firm is one or two LPs away from being able to close the vehicle, investment director Darius Sarshar tells Agri Investor. We zoom in on the fund’s investor base, strategy and expected returns.

The French firm is the largest of about 10 LPs invested in the €50m vehicle, which will be run by the team that launched an agribusiness fund for Crédit Agricole in 2009.

The firm was founded last year by former executives at US private debt firm CapitalSpring.

Small-caps are the only segment to post gains in Q1, with US agribusiness stocks underperforming their European peers.

The private investment arm of the French asset manager will launch hybrid fund of funds, growth capital, infrastructure and real estate vehicles this year.

The program's focus is on projects to be implemented through 2022, but EIB executives tell Agri Investor the bank hopes to replicate the entire program, if successful.

Gresham House has raised £15m and bought real assets manager FIM, more than trebling its forestry AUM.