The state government of Maharashtra has assessed the weather-related crop damage there at $1.63 billion and the area affected at about 1.8 million hectares. Severe Crop Damage in Maharashtra Unseasonal rains and hailstorms in March 2014 have left many farmers in debt, which has driven at least 33 farmers to commit suicide in different parts of Maharashtra. The central and state governments have announced compensation as well as interest waivers for some areas in Maharashtra. Banks in Maharashtra have been advised to convert crop loans to three-year terms as well as provide additional loans to these farmers through next year as well.Nearly 3 million hectares of crops have been impacted in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. Maharashtra's horti...
What You Need to Know Today: U.S. weather is getting more attention this week as conditions vary greatly across the western, central, and eastern corn belts, with the different regions battling dryness and too much rain simultaneously. The ProFarmer Crop Tour began today in Indiana and Nebrask...
Key Takeaways: Argentina is on pace for a record corn crop and record exports in the current marketing year, with abundant supplies likely to keep the country highly competitive in global export markets. Argentina’s record exportable surplus is allowing it to offer highly competitive pri...
Illuminating the value of technical research
On behalf of a commodity producer organization, WPI evaluated the outputs from a project that featured a $5 million investment into technical research over multiple years. WPI’s team captured the results of this extensive effort and synthesized them for presentation to the organization’s governing board; among the findings uncovered and presented for the first time was the development of genomic traits proven, via rigorous testing, to provide crop yield advantages of 50 percent or more to U.S. farmers in times of drought. Capturing measurable results from long-term efforts can be challenging. Educating clients on the dynamics of success measurement when quantifiable results are not readily available requires deep client-consultant collaboration and an ability to consider both near- and long-term client aspirations with market/policy dynamics – attributes that WPI brings to every consulting engagement.