Agriculture
Profile: Black Soil's Chang Sun
Chang Sun swapped his life as head of North Asia at Warburg Pincus to become a farmer in China. He sees substantial financial and social opportunities in modernizing a highly inefficient agriculture sector
VIDEO: Black Soil's Chang Sun
Having spent 20 years at Warburg Pincus, during which he helped set up the firm’s China business, Chang Sun chose agriculture for his next challenge. His start-up, Black Soil, aims to bring consolidation, automation and improved productivity to a sector...
Black Soil’s Chang Sun postpones China agri fundraise
Chang Sun, the former Asia managing director at Warburg Pincus who co-founded Chinese agriculture start-up Black Soil, has delayed plans to raise a $1 billion PE fund and will instead focus on individual deals.
Fund focus: New name, same agribusiness strategy
Following a spin-out from Cargill, the PE unit of Black River Asset Management has been renamed Proterra Investments Partners. The agriculture-focused remit is unchanged
Black River PE team goes solo as part of Cargill spin-out
The private equity team of Black River Asset Management, an independently managed alternative investment unit of agribusiness giant Cargill, has spun out to form Proterra Investment Partners.
GPs look to adapt to a fast-changing China
China-focused private equity investors are modifying their investment approaches in the face of a challenging economic environment and ongoing overcapacity issues.
New Forests invests in Indonesia rubber plantation
Agriculture and timberlands investor New Forests has agreed to invest in a large-scale rubber plantation in Indonesia with local strategic partner Sampoerna Agro.
Paine & Partners buys Australia's AgBiTech
Paine & Partners, which focuses on the global food and agribusiness industry, has acquired a majority stake in AgBiTech, an Australia-based producer of biological insecticides for crops.
Creation, Everstone lead $15m round for India's SLCM
Everstone Capital and Creation Investments Capital Management have led a INR1 billion ($15 million) round for Indian agricultural logistics firm Sohan Lal Commodity Management (SLCM).
ESG in infrastructure: Laying the groundwork
Environmental regulations in Asia are not keeping track with the needs of local markets. PE professionals say investors can take the lead in developing and enforcing necessary standards
Riverside's NZ animal health business completes bolt-on
Simcro, a New Zealand-based animal drug delivery firm controlled by the Riverside Company, has completed two bolt-on acquisitions.
China agriculture: Seeds of hope
Fragmentation and inefficiency have hampered Chinese agriculture for years, but a combination of policy reform and consumer demand may allow the sector to unlock its potential. Does private equity have the key?
Warburg's Chang Sun targets $1b China agribusiness fund
Black Soil Capital Partners, a private equity firm newly formed by Chang Sun, formerly Asia managing director at Warburg Pincus, is looking to raise $1 billion for its debut China agriculture-focused fund.
India's AgroStar raises $3.6m from IDG Ventures, Aavishkaar
IDG Ventures has led a $3.6 million funding round for Indian agriculture-focused mobile commerce firm AgroStar, with participation by existing investor Aavishkaar Venture Management Services.
Deal focus: Cloud Farm brings China agribusiness online
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang's "internet plus” policy is an attempt to rejuvenate traditional industries by grafting modern technology onto their tired business models. Agriculture is thought to hold enormous potential for cloud computing and big data,...
Chunxiao invests $16m in China agri e-commerce player
Chunxiao Capital has provided RMB100 million ($16 million) in Series A plus funding for Cloud Farm, a China-based e-commerce platform dedicated to the agricultural sector.
Hosen targets $400m for China food and agri fund
China-focused food and agriculture specialist Hosen Capital is looking to raise $400 million for its second US dollar-denominated fund.
CNEI re-ups in Chinese prawn producer
China New Enterprise Investment (CNEI) has made a follow-on investment of $6.5 million in Zhanjiang Newpro Foods, a leading integrated operator in China’s prawn farming industry.
Deal focus: Aspada backs India’s agri-tech ‘Uber’
Indian agriculture is woefully inefficient. This is in part due to the extreme fragmentation of land ownership; the UN estimates the average farm holding is 1.6 hectares, or just larger than two football pitches. As a result, the nation’s food producers...
Aspada commits $3.3m to India agri-tech business
Asapada Investment - an India-based investor backed by the Soros Economic Development Fund (SEDF) - has injected INR200 million ($3.3 million) into Dehli-based EM3 AgriServices.
CIC launches overseas direct investment arm
CIC Capital, an overseas direct investment arm of sovereign wealth fund China Investment Corporation (CIC), has begun operations and could have in excess of $40 billion put at its disposal.
Mandala commits $15m to India's Godavari Biorefineries
Mandala Capital has invested $15 million in India's Godavari Biorefineries, a producer of foods, biofuels, specialty chemicals and power.
Blackstone set for part exit as India’s Nuziveedu files for IPO
Indian seeds producer Nuziveedu Seeds has filed for a domestic IPO, which is expected to facilitate a partial exit for The Blackstone Group, an investor in the company since 2008.
Mandala backs Indian agriculture finance business
Mandala Capital has invested INR1.1 billion ($17.9 million) in Sustainable Agro-commercial Finance (SAFL), a agriculture-focused non-banking financial company (NBFC) controlled by India's Jain Irrigation Systems (JISL).