Increased Sugarcane Prices a Double Blow for the Sugar Industry As this is an election year, the government must please farmers, the backbone of the Indian economy. As it promised in the election manifesto and again in the budget speech to guarantee them at least a 50 percent profit above the cost of production, the government of India (GOI) increased the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) for sugarcane by Rs.200 ($2.89)/MT to Rs.2,750 ($39.85)/MT, an increase of 7.84 percent. Also, the price is set at 77.41 percent above sugarcane’s cost of production and is applicable when the sugar recovery is 10 percent.( Farmers receive a lower price if the recovery is less and a higher price if it is above 10 percent.) Until last year, the FRP w...
Forecasting developments in production agriculture
On behalf of a private U.S. agricultural technology provider, WPI’s team generated an econometric model to forecast the movement of concentrated corn production north and west from the traditional U.S. Corn Belt. WPI’s model has subsequently provided quantitative support to a multi-million-dollar investment into short-season corn variety development. WPI’s methodology included a series of interviews with regional grain elevators and seed consultants. Emphasizing outreach and communication with stakeholders who possess intimate sectoral knowledge – on-the-ground insights – is a regular component of WPI’s methodologies, made possible by WPI’s ever-growing network of industry contacts.