World Perspectives

Markets are Scary

The government of Narendra Modi is pushing through reforms to make Indian agriculture more market-oriented, but it has become a huge political fight within the country. Since independence, agriculture in India has been largely about government control of supply and thus the price received by hundreds of millions of poor farmers. The Essential Commodities Act restricted supply and forced marketing through a system of middlemen (mandis) that too often have involved corruption.  Now three separate pieces of legislation, the Farmers Produce, Trade and Commerce bill, Empowerment and Protection Agreement on Price Assurance, and Farm Services provisions, would, among other things, allow farmers to negotiate production and prices separately,...

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From WPI Consulting

Infrastructure investment due diligence

On behalf of a Canadian oilseed processer WPI's team provided market analysis, econometric modeling and financial due diligence in support of a $24 million-dollar investment in a Ukrainian crush plant. Consistent with WPI's findings, local production to supply the plant and the facility's output have expanded exponentially since the investment. WPI has conducted parallel work on behalf of U.S., South American and European clients, both private and public, in the agri-food space.

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