Professional Pensions | 6 February 2012

By Michael Bow

The Pension Protection Fund is set to add specialist farmland and timberland fund managers to its investment manager panel to assist its alternative investment programme.

The £9bn fund has put out a tender for managers to sit on the panel in a bid to further diversify its alternatives portfolio. The PPF said the panel would help invest in land and the operations necessary to cultivate and market agricultural produce, or to grow and sell timber.

It follows a previous tender by the PPF last week searching for specialist bond manager to sit on a panel to invest in absolute return strategies, asset backed securities and emerging market debt. (PP Online, 30 Jan)

PPF currently has manager panels dedicated to a variety of asset classes, including global equity, private equity, alternative credit and infrastructure.

The advert for the farmland and timberland managers, in the Official Journal of the European Union, said: "Proposals focused on investing directly in the soft commodities markets or in agricultural equities will not be considered."

The panel will be appointed over the course of this year.