The EU temporary ban on imports of select Indian fruit and vegetables could have wide implications for a variety of other produce subject to the same quarantine pests that are the cause for this action. EU Setback for India's Fruit and Vegetable Trade The 28-member European Union (EU) has temporarily banned the importation of some Indian fruits and vegetables effective 1 May 2014. Included are the famous Alphonso mangoes (the king of fruits) and four vegetables that include taro plant (leafy vegetable), bitter gourd and snake gourd (types of squash) as well as eggplant (aubergines). This action was the result of quarantine pests found in some consignments during 2013, especially fruit flies. Although the Plant Quarantine Service issued a...
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.