Regional Updates MEDITERRANEAN/MIDDLE EAST/NORTH AFRICA The latest FAO report on Yemen shows that the 2020 grain harvest is down by about 5 percent at 365,000 MT and only covers less than 20 percent of the country's grain needs. Imports for 2021 are expected to be at 4.3 MMT: 3.2 MMT of wheat, 700,000 MT of maize, and 400,000 MT of rice. The Chairman of Pakistan’s Flour Mills Association said the private sector should be allowed to import wheat because the government importation and distribution system is not working and does not allow for adequate supplies of wheat to all areas of the country. Kuwait Flour Mills and Bakeries Co. has advised that it will be enriching its flour production with vitamin D. The company men...
What You Need to Know Today: Agricultural commodities were mostly lower on the day, with red-hot soyoil a notable exception. Export sales were a bit underwhelming, particularly for corn with export sales down 52 percent week-over-week. The weakness in ag markets tracked crude oil weakness wit...
With the war in Iran affecting fuel and fertilizer prices, higher tariffs, weak commodity prices, ag labor constraints, and other factors, farm bankruptcies are now at a 6-year high, a signal of growing stress. During the month of April, 62 Chapter 12 bankruptcies were filed, which is a 1...
WPI recently completed an expansion of our methodology for estimating and forecasting U.S. and global soybean crushing margins. The new approach incorporates the energy market’s expanding influence on the oilseed sector and the structural changes in global biofuel demand. This report is i...
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.