‘Everybody’s Money’s the Same Colour to Us’

Australian farmers don’t want a bar of scare-mongering by the Farmers Federation:

farmers such as Simon Tiller have a clear message to any foreigner interested in his multi-million-dollar operation: come on down.

The 29-year-old father of two would not say where the “considerable overseas interest” was coming from for his $15.5 million wheat, barley and canola concern east of Esperance, 700km southeast of Perth, but he is adamant foreign investment is pivotal to keeping Australian agriculture strong and productive.

“Can you imagine the mining industry getting off the ground without foreign investment? It’s a sophisticated global economy and we need to keep pace,” he told The Weekend Australian.

While the West Australian Farmers Federation has warned about the dangers of “large-scale Chinese ownership” following moves on Australia’s sugar industry and rumours China was seeking 80,000ha of WA farmland, grain producers such as Mr Tiller around Esperance won’t have a bar of any “scaremongering”...

Foreign investment was good for farmers who wanted to sell - it gave them an out - and those that didn’t as it “kept values rising”.

I make related arguments in this op-ed.

posted on 27 August 2011 by skirchner in Economics, Foreign Investment

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