News Updates EGYPT COMMENTS There is a great deal of concern in Egypt that the current political turmoil will make it difficult for the IMF to follow through with its plans to loan the country $4.8 billion. Trade experts said that the IMF does not want to negotiate strict loan requirements when the situation in Egypt is anything but calm. A senior government official said that the country needs long-term structural financial support from the IMF, not short-term, stop-gap loans. The IMF, however, said it is looking at a stop-gap program that could provide immediate assistance. Some experts said that it might be easier for both the IMF and Egypt if a long-term agreement is delayed. Current inflation levels already are at a reported 8 percen...
Key Takeaways: Brazil confirmed a Newcastle disease outbreak at a commercial turkey farm in Santa Catarina on 18 October, raising concerns about potential disruptions to poultry exports despite the outbreak being confined to a single facility thus far. Mexico and Malaysia have imposed nationwi...
Yesterday, Alberta held a referendum on whether to begin the process toward independence from Canada. With more than one million votes counted as of early Tuesday morning, around 77 percent supported remaining in Canada, and 23 percent voted to start the process of separation, according to unof...
Mediterranean/Middle East/North Africa/Africa – MEA Region Pakistan’s smaller wheat farmers have been holding protests to complain about the lack of a support price for wheat and the potential expansion of GMO crop production. They also want the reinstatement of PASSCO, the governme...
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.