After 35 years, Benetton is set to give up its position as Argentina’s largest private landowner. The group has sold a 900,000-hectare estate comprising six major properties, stretching from Patagonia to the south of Buenos Aires province, according to Argentine media reports cited by ANSA.
The buyers are a group of Argentine partners that includes Mariano Bosch, CEO of the local agribusiness giant Adecoagro. The total value of the transaction has not been made public. Several specialist websites have described it as the year’s major rural property deal.
The sale transfers control of Benetton’s only two agricultural companies in Argentina: Compañía de Tierras Sud Argentino and Ganadera Cóndor. Their main activities are sheep and cattle raising, with more than 300,000 animals, as well as wool production.
Sources: ANSA Mondo.