Crops

The Los Angeles-based cannabis investor has launched its second fund shortly after closing its first vehicle below its original $100m target.

The Western Australian Farm Investment Fund will focus on WA grain assets that will be sourced and managed by Planfarm.

Equipped with battery storage, the new facility will supply enough electricity to power a 40-hectare greenhouse.

The open-ended farmland investing vehicle has raised $649.7m since launching in 2006.

The outlook for Brazil’s sugar and ethanol sector remains bleak, Fitch says, with more defaults and bankruptcy filings expected.

Private equity can respond to consumer demand by helping encourage adoption of new technologies and conversion of conventional farmland to organic production, according to Rabobank.

Investors in the Kansas-based commodity trading and transportation company include Chinese private equity firm New Hope Group and Australian real assets giant Macquarie.

The World Bank affiliate will provide a $60m loan from its own account and help facilitate an additional $40m in financing to support Nibulon’s efforts to increase its trading volume.

The Canadian pension giant says it "plans to build scale in US agriculture" having increased its agriculture exposure by more than 11% in a year.

The superannuation fund has spun out its impact investment arm to become Brightlight Impact, keeping an 80% equity stake. Former senior portfolio analyst Simba Marekera, head of research at the new entity, talks to Agri Investor.