Australia

Tony Hales, managing director of Stadia Trustees, puts forward the case for including farmland in clients’ self-invested personal pensions (UK)

The Thai company is seeking to acquire four far north Queensland sugar mills, more than 6,000 hectares of agricultural land and other infrastructure assets owned by MSF Sugar

"The whole mess in Europe at the moment has increased demand for diversification products for the Asian markets," says Aquila CEO Roman Rosslenbroich, including farmland.

UK-based investors are planning a $400 million rural land fund to buy cotton and wheat properties in eastern Australia.

Company now manages farms on 3.6 million hectares and believes that, overall, US$25 billion of institutional capital has gone into the acquisition of farms.

PrimeAg chairman said while it was talking to domestic and offshore investors about taking part in the fund to reach a target of $600 million in funds under management within six months, it had grander ambitions.

Foreign investors have snapped up more than $12 billion in Australian farm land and agribusiness during the past year.

Commodities trader Jim Rogers, known for his investment prowess alongside George Soros, is in Australia to launch a new rural land fund which is seeking to raise up to $350 million to buy farms in northern NSW

Western Australia announced it will make available 15,200 hectares of new irrigable farm land near Kununurra in the state's deep north, more than doubling the size of an existing irrigation area, with the government hoping to attract interest from foreign investors.

Two of the last big Australian-owned sugar mills, Maryborough and Proserpine, could soon be sold to foreign buyers in takeover deals worth more than $350 million.

Group's $700 million international crop fund has been dealt a serious blow with new foreign investment restrictions on rural property in Brazil stalling its expansion.

Aquila Capital Green Assets, part of the Aquila Group, is pleased to announce today that it has become an official signatory to the recently launched Principles for Responsible Investment in Farmland.