HASSAD Australia has been confirmed as the buyer of a large slice of premium farming country in the Coonamble district, substantially expanding the oil-rich Gulf State's local footprint.
Known as the Urawilkie Aggregation (in recognition of the former pastoral station that once covered much of the same area), the land parcel comprises 25,934 hectares (about 64,000ac) east of Coonamble.
Independent sources say the deal - which has been about two years in the finessing, according to selling agent Kim Watts, of Elders Forbes - involved nine vendors and about 20 individual properties.
The sale is understood to be worth more than $50 million, with prices for individual holdings reportedly ranging from about $1150 a hectare to $2600/ha according to land type.
All but about 5000ha of the total aggregation is cultivation country with a range of soil types from heavy clay loam to red and chocolate loam.
The country will be used for farming and grazing, and adds to the 250,000ha already accumulated in Australia by Hassad since its initial purchase of "Kaladbro" in Victoria in 2010.
Its holdings now comprise 14 aggregations in five States and include the former Merino stud property "Raby" at Warren, the former Clyde Agriculture property "Clover Downs" at Cunnamulla, Queensland, "Old Bundemar" at Trangie, and "Gindurra" at Canowindra.
Hassad Australia is the first overseas venture of Hassad Food Company, a company set up and funded by the Qatar government to invest in food- producing farmland, to bolster the land-poor Gulf State's food security.
In other top-end rural property developments, contracts have now exchanged for the sale of Clyde Agriculture's Bourke cotton farms, completing the UK-based Swire Group's exit from Australian agriculture.
As foreshadowed in The Land ("Clyde holdings sale speculation builds", p21, Thursday, March 6) last month, Clyde's Bourke cotton interests - comprising the four farms "Beemery", "Janbeth", "Latoka" and "Rumleigh", and the Darling River Cotton gin - have been bought by Peter Harris from the mega-farming family based at "Moomin", Rowena.
The sale involves 33,954ha of land including 8959ha of developed irrigation on which cotton production over the three seasons to 2013 averaged 60,000 bales, and 42,000 megalitres of water rights.
No price has been disclosed for the sale, which was conducted by expressions of interest through Moree Real Estate, although earlier estimates put the likely figure as high as $50m.
Mr Harris had been tipped as the likely buyer of the Bourke cotton farms following his family's recent divestment of "South Ravensworth" at Hay and hefty water entitlements, for a rumoured $32m.
The sale marks the finalisation of a farm liquidation program initiated just under four years ago by Clyde's parent company, John Swire and Sons, ending 30 years' involvement in Australian agriculture.
At its peak, Clyde Agriculture's interests comprised 13 properties in NSW and Queensland - a land area of 273,000ha including 38,000ha of cropping land and grazing capacity for 467,500 dry sheep equivalents.
Perhaps fittingly, the Swire Group's Australian agriculture adventure has ended where it began in 1983: at Bourke, where it all started with Swire taking equity in the late Dudley Dunn's Wesbeef Pastoral Company.
Although this latest sale marks the wind-up of Clyde Agriculture, the Swire family will retain a local agricultural interest, Sam Swire having bought the 5000ha "Wirribilla" at Walcha formerly held by Clyde.
Mr Harris earlier bought "Brewon" at Walgett in 2009 as part of the Clyde sell-off.
Other key sales of multiple properties were made to Paraway Pastoral Company and Australian Food and Agriculture.