World Perspectives

MFN Hurdle; Sovereign Losers; Trade Policy Movement

MFN Hurdle German Agriculture Minister Julia Klöckner is urging the European Commission to ensure that third countries with a trade agreement with Europe have the same sustainability standards. Basically, imports must be held to the same standards as internal EU production methods. The problem is that even production standards between different member states can differ. This dynamic is not limited to agriculture since Europe’s COVID vaccination policy is said to differ from that of the U.S. because of more highly varied approaches within the EU. Ultimately, import policies must prove to be consistent with the fair and equal treatment requirement of the WTO’s Most Favored Nation clause.  Sovereign Losers While many g...

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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.

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