Water

Jim Rogers, the investor who foresaw the start of a commodity rally in 1999, said he was “extremely opti-

mistic” about investing in water amid a scarcity of supply in countries from India to the US. “If you can find ways to

invest in water, you will be extremely rich because we do have a serious water problem in many parts of the world

like India, China, the south-western part of the US, and west of the Red Sea,” Rogers, chairman of Rogers Holdings,

told reporters at his home in Singapore today. The world’s growing food demand will create a pro-

gressive shortage in supplies, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.

Water used in farming will rise 70 to 90 per cent through 2050 as food demand doubles over the

same period in emerging countries, Pasquale Steduto, principal officer of the FAO’s water development and

management unit, said in March.

“There are some companies out there that clean and transport water,” Rogers said, adding that he has owned

shares in Singapore’s water treatment company, HyfluxLtd, for a few years.

“Find one with good management and invest in it andyou’ll be rich.