Regional Updates MIDDLE EAST/MEDITERRANEAN COMMENTS Syria will pay about $359/MT for the wheat it purchases from farmers, up nearly $20/MT versus last year’s price. The last crop there was the smallest in 30 years, and it is expected that the country will have to import 1.5 MMT of wheat this year, mainly from Russia. Egypt’s wheat farmers are complaining that the government purchase price of about $226/MT is too low, but the government says that is higher than international prices. The same farmers are also looking for an increased supply of government-subsidized fertilizer. Egypt will produce about 9.5 MMT of wheat this year with only about one-third going to the government. The country would like to be self-sufficient in wh...
From WPI Consulting
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.