China Invests in Agriculture Play

In a move indicative of China’s interest in securing access to soft commodities, the China Investment Corporation (CIC), China’s $300bn sovereign wealth fund, has agreed to invest $850m in equity in agricultural logistics and commodity player Noble Group. The Hong Kong-based investor with a concentration of assets in LatAm plans to use the capital to pursue strategic investments in “key global agricultural markets,” it says. Noble describes the partnership for the purpose of jointly investing in infrastructure assets and supply chain management related to agricultural commodities. Noble owns agricultural assets in Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina as well as 5 port facilities in LatAm. Merrill advised Noble, while JPMorgan advised CIC.