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Eat Your Rice

South Korea wants more rice to be consumed and is subsidizing rice for college students, the cohort least likely to eat breakfast, and is incentivizing food products made from rice flour. Rice production is dropping as population growth has stalled, but rice consumption is dropping even faster. South Korea’s population growth rate is 0.16 percent, but rice consumption is falling by 0.6 percent per year. Instead, wheat consumption is increasing by 0.5 percent per year. The share of rice in ending stocks has risen by 21 percent over the past decade.     The situation in broader East Asia is not too different. The population is increasing by 0.27 percent per year, and rice consumption is increasing by 0.46 percent. But...

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From WPI Consulting

Weighing in on strategic realignment

WPI’s team was retained by the governing board of a U.S. industry organization to review a decision, reached by vote, to invest significant assets into the development and management of an export trading company. WPI’s team conducted a formal review of this decision and concluded that the current level of market saturation would limit the benefits of the investment. Based on WPI’s analysis and recommended actions, the board subsequently reversed its decision and undertook a strategic planning effort to identify more impactful investments. On behalf of numerous clients, WPI has not only assisted in identifying strategic paths but also advised their implementation.

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