Hassad Food is a US$1-billion company established by Qatars sovereign wealth fund. It has been leading the countrys quest to secure farmland overseas for the export of food to Qatar. To date Hassad Food, under its subsidiary name Hassad Australia, has acquired 13 large farms in Australia for sheep and wheat production which, according to Stock & Land, amount to 750,000 ha. Hassad Food intends to double its investments in Australia from $200 to $400 million. In response to these large land acquisitions, independent senator Nick Xenophon and the Green Party have proposed a bill that would require any application to buy Australian agricultural land greater than 5ha or more than $5 million to be subject to online transparency and more government regulations. |