Cotton Terrorism Domestic agricultural subsidies distort markets and thus cause a multitude of harms. However, none seems worse than the overproduction of cotton in rich countries that adversely impacts farmers in the “cotton-four” West African countries. Nonetheless, they are part of a much larger and more complex array of distorting policies and practices that defy a cherry-picking approach to reform. It also doesn’t help to exaggerate their impact. Speaking on behalf of the cotton-four, Mali Prime Minister Abdoulaye Idrissa Maiga charged that rich country cotton subsidies are “promoting the growth of extremists.” Cotton is not the source of religious intolerance in Muslim West Africa. Cultural Shippi...
What You Need To Know Today: Ethanol margins continue to run well above year-ago and normal seasonal values, but have slipped in recent weeks on weaker DDGS and ethanol pricing. WPI’s models project a steady decrease in returns to ethanol production following the end of the summer...
Russian Grain Markets: 22-26 June 2026 The Russian grain market remained volatile during the week as farmers continued to hold old-crop supplies while new-crop availability remained limited. The ruble weakened nearly 5 percent against the U.S. dollar during the week, supporting domestic grain p...
WPI Grain Prices and Freight Rate App Note: you can also visit the app directly by clicking here. Supplemental Information The section below offers a concise view of the options available in the current version of the WPI FOB Price and Freight Rate app, along with a short “...
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.