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Agribusiness
According to a 2013 report from the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation (www.fao.org), "more food will have to be produced over the next 50 years than has been produced during the past 10,000 years combined". This is an inescapable fact. We need to feed more people with finite resources. This is likely to lead to an increase in food prices.
Abacus Emerging Markets has identified key markets for potential agricultural growth. Australia in particular offers exciting opportunities to investors providing unique exposure to safe, stable assets with attractive returns in the sector.
At a time when many developed and emerging market countries (particularly from the MENA region) are realising the necessity of investing in food and water security, our firm is uniquely placed to facilitate sustainable solutions and opportunities in this sector. The Abacus Emerging Markets team has access to the following specialised agribusiness fields:
- Crops
- Dairy
- Fisheries/Aquaculture
- Livestock
We have a strong understanding of the needs of agribusiness and are ideally placed to offer and arrange investment opportunities to help satisfy these demands.
Abacus Emerging Markets video interview of Mr Geoffrey Conaghan, Agent General of the Government of Victoria Australia to the United Kingdom.
Snapshot: the Australian Agribusiness Opportunity
"Australian farmland is attractive to investors because it combines the benefits of first world governance and stability with the scale and prices of developing nations."
Citi Private Bank, Wealth Report, 2011
Investing in the Australian agribusiness industry with us allows investors to benefit from:
- Market leading expertise and individuals across the Australian agribusiness sector
- Diverse climate, rainfall patterns and soil types allowing for a wide range of agribusiness enterprises
- Well-developed supply chain and export infrastructure
- Highly skilled agricultural labour force
The Australian Agribusiness Sector
- National gross farm income of A$53 billion (2011-12) with agricultural output more than doubling since the 80s.
- Vast grain growing area covering 46 million hectares (three times the total land area of England).
- Grain production up by 69% and exports up by 176% in last five years (2007-08 to 2011-12).
- Food self-sufficient, exporting two thirds of its agricultural production.
- Third largest exporter of wheat after USA and the European Union (15.9% of global exports, 2011-12).
- Ideally located to capitalise on the rapid rise in demand and changing diets in emerging markets, with grain exports to China up by more than 200% in five years (2007-08 to 2011-12).
Torsten Böhler, Managing Director
Torsten is a highly dynamic Investment Banking and Corporate Finance Executive with proven ability to mould highly-profitable strategies and transactions in alignment with diverse financial services and products.
In 2010 Torsten co-founded Investment Capital Management Ltd a boutique financial services firm for agency-based cross-border capital markets operations to assist premier institutional clients with asset-raising and monetization needs across Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
As part of the sale of Investment Capital Management Ltd to a leading private equity investor Torsten moved to Kleinwort Benson Bank where between 2010 and 2012 he established a cross-border capital markets platform focused on Debt Capital Markets and Advisory activities in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. He also served as an Executive Committee Member and CEO of their Singapore based Asian subsidiary.
Between 2003 and 2009 Torsten worked at Dresdner Kleinwort where he was a Managing Director in charge of the European Financing and Securities Management Sales. As a driver of product innovation, he was instrumental in the development of complex financing solutions for non-generic and illiquid assets. As part of his responsibilities Torsten was also the cross-product relationship manager for several of the bank's key hedge fund and asset manager relationships.
Prior to joining Dresdner Kleinwort held various senior roles at Credit Suisse and BNP Paribas. Torsten commenced his investment banking career with UBS Phillips & Drew in London in 1992.
Between 2000 and 2007 Torsten served as a visiting lecturer for Applied Corporate Finance at the MBA program Sir John Cass Business School in London.
Torsten holds an MBA from Sir John Cass Business School and a BA (Hons) in Business and Economics.
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