Crops

The market for Australian Carbon Credit Units has been thriving, but recent developments have thrust it into the spotlight – which may not be a bad thing.

Founder and managing partner Nick Cooney says participation by a University-backed investment vehicle helped feed investor interest in NuCicer, which is developing high protein chickpeas.

Foreign farmland ownership in Australia was flat year-on-year, with Chinese entities still topping the list of foreign investors despite a fall in the amount of land they own.

The three assets – Vaucluse, One Tree and Racecourse – are expected to fetch more than A$400m for investors in Proterra’s Black River Agriculture Fund 2.

The Australian Farmland Index for Q4 2021 shows that annual farmland continues to outperform permanent cropping, but returns for both have remained solid at 7.22%

Non-bank lender Thera Capital Management has secured two-thirds of its commitments from outside Australia, gaining traction among investors thanks to ag’s defensive characteristics and ESG themes.

The firm’s early-stage ag investments could expand from Sub-Saharan countries without upper middle-income status into other regions of Africa, says chief executive Daniel Hulls.

Managing director David Bryant says the firm was in discussions with institutional investors over potentially leasing its macadamia orchards in Queensland.

Meeting materials describe discounted management fees in perpetuity for LPs committing to PGIM’s US Agriculture Fund at or near February 20.

Co-founder Ryan Lefers describes informal discussions with US government entities regarding potential equity support for its controlled-environment farming systems in water-scarce markets worldwide.