Permanent Crops

Income growth remained negative for only the second time since the 2015 inception of the Australian Farmland Index, as lower commodity prices and climatic changes have an impact.

With a string of big deals in Australia and elsewhere, Canadian investors continued to flex their muscles and demonstrate their commitment to the asset class in 2023.

The Canadian fund will merge Montague with its existing subsidiary Pomona Valley, which is managed by its Australian agriculture arm AustOn.

Warakirri Asset Management has purchased the seventh and eighth assets for its Diversified Agriculture Fund in a A$22m sale-and-leaseback deal.

Agriculture minister Murray Watt told the 2023 NFF Conference that agriculture was a ‘central priority’ for the government, in response to a critical new NFF campaign arguing against ‘anti-farming’ policies.

Exports of Australian wine to China fell to A$8.1m in 2023 from $1.1bn three years earlier, as tariffs effectively removed the country as a trading partner.

The annualized return for Australian farmland to the end of June 2023 stood at 2.01%, comfortably the lowest figure since the Australian Farmland Index was launched in 2015.

Paine Schwartz Partners has reduced its takeover bid for ASX-listed Costa Group to A$3.20 per share, down from a previous bid of A$3.50, after Costa lowered its forecast earnings for H2 2023.

The Australian Taxation Office has published its annual report covering the state of its register of foreign ownership of Australian water – with Canadian investors still the largest holders of water entitlements.

The sale represents Cibus Capital’s first exit of a wholly owned portfolio company from the $322m Cibus Fund I.