Drought in Morocco has become more frequent and the Casablanca-Settat region is experiencing a 78 percent rainfall deficit this year. Meteorologists says that drought in Morocco occurred once every ten years in the 20th century but over the past two decades it has been at five times that frequency. Drought greatly slows the country’s economy while concurrently requiring an increase in food imports. During the 2000-01 drought, Morocco’s wheat imports doubled to 5 MMT. In 2006-07, grain production was only half a normal year’s output. In 2015-16, grain production fell by 70 percent and wheat imports increased by 1 MMT. A new investment program for dams and irrigation may eventually bring help but the country is warmin...
What You Need to Know Today: Russia rejected calls for a ceasefire in the Black Sea, including a proposal to halt attacks on civilian shipping that could help restore grain flows from Ukrainian ports. Tyson Foods announced plans to permanently close its Joslin, Illinois, beef processing facili...
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released the Consumer Price Index (CPI) on Wednesday. In July, the CPI rose 0.1 percent, seasonally adjusted, and rose 3.4 percent over the last 12 months, not seasonally adjusted. The index for all items less food and energy, or the “core” infla...
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.