Regional Updates MEDITERRANEAN/MIDDLE EAST/NORTH AFRICA The first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan begins 24 April. Business is always more difficult during Ramadan due to shorter working hours, but this year will be even more difficult due to COVID-19 related lockdowns in many countries in the region. Ramadan will end on 24 May with the Eid al-Fitr celebrations. Importers of Romanian grains in the region were surprised this week by the ban on grain exports by the Romanian government to non-EU countries. Luckily for importers (and exporters) the ban was lifted a few days later so that grain shipments, mainly wheat and corn, should be as close to normal as COVID-19 restrictions allow. News reports say that part of the reason for li...
Key Market Insights The broad market is locked in on this week’s Trump-Xi meeting in Beijing, but this is no longer just a trade summit. Increasingly, the meeting is becoming tied directly to Iran, energy security, and the growing global economic fallout from disruptions through the Strai...
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.