Indian agri-focused lender NAFA raises $50m through equity and ECB
Photo: Reuters
April 27, 2021
Agriculture-focused non-banking finance company (NBFC) Netafim Agricultural Financing Agency (NAFA) on Monday said it has raised $50 million through a mix of equity capital and external commercial borrowing from Israel based – Phoenix Group and Cogito Capital.
Funds raised will be utilized for business expansion, enhanced offerings, and to expand horizons in the agri-rural domain and to improve its margins as it intends to service the high-cost old debt and bring down the overall cost of funds, the company said in a statement.
Apart from Phoenix group and Cogito Capital, it recently raised $9.4 million of Tier I Capital from its parent, Netafim Singapore and offered exit to the initial equity partners Atmaram Properties & Granite Hill Fund as they had reached their investment horizon, it said.
April 26, 2021
Funds will be utilised to expand horizons in the agri-rural domain
Netafim Agricultural Financing Agency Private Ltd (NAFA), an agri-focused non-banking finance company and subsidiary of Netafim Singapore, has raised $40 million via external commercial borrowing (ECB) from the Phoenix Group and Cogito Capital, both Israel-based investors.
The NBFC recently also raised $9.4 million of Tier I Capital from Netafim Singapore and offering exit to the initial equity partners, Atmaram Properties & Granite Hill Fund, as they had reached their investment horizon, as per its statement.
Business expansion
The ECB funds will be utilised for business expansion, enhanced offerings, and to expand horizons in the agri-rural domain, it added
Netafim-backed NAFA raises USD 50 mn via equity and ECB from Israeli investors freepressjournal.in - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from freepressjournal.in Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Agri sector hopes for a pivotal push from Union Budget 21-22
January 31, 2021
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Industry players expect lower taxes for agri-tech, specific interventions for crop R&D and post-harvest infrastructure
For agriculture, which was the only sector to witness growth during the Covid-19 pandemic, expectations are high from the Union Budget 2021-22. The sector is likely to see higher allocations especially in the areas of agriculture credit, PM Kisan and irrigation among others.
Industry players are looking forward to incentives such as lower taxes for agri-tech and specific interventions for crop R&D and post-harvest infrastructure.
The Budget should focus on augmenting supply-demand mismatches in areas such as pulses, animal protein and dairy, as the outlays were disproportionately tuned towards erstwhile green revolution crops such as rice and wheat, said Anand Ramanathan, Partner, Deloitte India.
Prabhat Chaturvedi
Mr. Prabhat Chaturvedi is the Chief Executive Officer of Netafim Agricultural Financing Agency Pvt Ltd (NAFA). Under his strong leadership, NAFA is witnessing rapid progress to become one of the prestigious NBFC offering customized financial solutions to the entire value chain of the smart irrigation system in India.
27th Jan 2021