Regional Updates MEDITERRANEAN/MIDDLE EAST/NORTH AFRICA There is a great deal of concern in North Africa about the effect that the second wave of COVID-19 will have on the still limited tourist business. Tourist travel had started to recover when lockdowns were lifted and tourist places in the MENA region, and Turkey, were starting to smile. But the smiling has stopped. Clearly related to the tourism industry is the poultry industry across the region as tourist hotels, etc were major consumers of chicken. Most North African countries are seeing poultry production down by as much as 50 percent which impacts both corn and soymeal usage. In some countries, like Egypt, corn imports had moved higher in recent weeks as importers/end users...
What You Need to Know Today: Russia rejected calls for a ceasefire in the Black Sea, including a proposal to halt attacks on civilian shipping that could help restore grain flows from Ukrainian ports. Tyson Foods announced plans to permanently close its Joslin, Illinois, beef processing facili...
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released the Consumer Price Index (CPI) on Wednesday. In July, the CPI rose 0.1 percent, seasonally adjusted, and rose 3.4 percent over the last 12 months, not seasonally adjusted. The index for all items less food and energy, or the “core” infla...
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.