Belarus is in the news, and not in a good way. The country’s leader since the fall of the Soviet Union (28 years) has been Alexander Lukashenko, also called the last dictator in Europe. To ensure that he will be dictator for life, he declared that death was the only way he will relinquish his office. Within the former Soviet bloc, Belarus has remained the strongest adherent to a centrally planned economy. As a result, its agriculture has been slow to adapt to competitive forces (e.g. use of collective and peasant farming). The geography is mostly marshland and forests, but it produces barley, wheat, livestock, and other products. Notably, it is the world’s eighth largest producer of potatoes and has had off- and on-again...
What You Need to Know Today: President Trump claimed the ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran was over, as both sides accused one another of violating the terms of the agreement. Commercial vessels are increasingly steering clear of the Strait of Hormuz as security risks escalate following Iran...
Russian Grain Markets: 29 June-3 July 2026 The new marketing season has officially begun in Russia, although bearish sentiment has been concentrated in the southern regions closest to the Black Sea ports, where export demand has been weakest. Delays in grain deliveries to inland elevators have...
From WPI Consulting
Accountability and a comprehensive approach to export programming
WPI’s team helped construct a strategic approach to develop, implement, and track promotional activities in 8 key regions across the globe for an agricultural export association. With continued progress measurement and strategic advisory services from WPI, the association has seen its ROI from investments in promotional programming increase by 44 percent over the past 5 years. Not only does this type of holistic approach to organizational strategy provide measurable results to track and analyze, it fosters top-down and bottom-up organizational accountability.