Singapore investment company Temasek and Japan’s Norinchukin Bank are set to anchor a US$173 million fund that will invest in agriculture and food technology startups across the Asia-Pacific region.

The fund, known as the Seviora T3F Strategy, will also focus on efforts to decarbonise the food and agriculture industries, according to a statement from Seviora Holdings, a wholly owned subsidiary of Temasek that manages US$52 billion in assets. 

Tokyo-based Norinchukin is an agriculture, forestry and fisheries bank, while Temasek has been steadily growing its presence in the space. The fund has several other institutional backers, and aims to grow beyond the initial amount as more investors join. Seviora Capital will be the investment manager and will build a portfolio from deals identified by Temasek, it said.

The new fund comes as scrutiny mounts over the carbon footprint of farming, with food systems accounting for about a third of global greenhouse gas emissions. Without change, the problem will worsen as governments ramp up production to cater for growing populations and fight inflation.

Regulations around emissions disclosures are putting pressure on agriculture giants to track and reduce their carbon output. Even urban gardens are under scrutiny for their higher carbon footprints than conventional farms. 

“The transformation of the agri-food sector is critical to decarbonisation while ensuring food security, and meeting the evolving needs of consumers,” said Anuj Maheshwari, head of agri-food at Temasek. 

GET BT IN YOUR INBOX DAILY

Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox.

Sign UpVIEW ALL

The fund has already started investing. Seviora said a US$17 million investment in India’s Country Delight was completed, as part of the strategy.

“We would like to contribute to finding solutions for society’s challenges, such as decarbonisation, biodiversity and productivity enhancement, by teaming up with Temasek,” Norinchukin said in a statement. 

With total assets of about 100 trillion yen (S$903 billion), Norinchukin is one of Japan’s largest institutional investors. In December, it announced an investment in a US-based venture capital fund targeting early-stage startups in agriculture and food and climate tech. Bloomberg