Regional Updates MEDITERRANEAN/MIDDLE EAST/NORTH AFRICA The World Bank estimates that MENA region economies have been affected by about $200 billion in costs due to COVID-19. The region’s GDP shrunk by 3.8 percent in 2020. However, things have improved for 2021 with the MENA GDP now expected to increase by 2.8 percent and by 4.2 percent in 2022. Much of the 2021 and 2022 increase is due to the recovery in the economy of Egypt. The World Bank also points out that in 13 of 16 countries covered by the region, the standard of living will be lower in 2021 than before COVID-19. Egypt reports that it has strategic wheat reserves that will cover five months consumption. Pakistan’s Agriculture Committee has set a wheat pr...
What You Need to Know Today: U.S. launches naval escort operations in the Strait of Hormuz as Iran attacks UAE oil infrastructure, escalating geopolitical risk and supporting energy and broader commodity markets Biofuel demand entering uncharted territory, with soyoil valuation increasingly di...
The Middle East is said to be undergoing a transformation as economic priorities transcend security concerns. This is evidenced by diversification away from oil and the UAE’s departure from OPEC. Meanwhile, the Palestine issue has been deprioritized, and Iran has emerged as more destabili...
All eyes are shifting to the Senate following the House passage of a farm bill last Thursday. Senate Agriculture Committee Chair John Boozman (R-Arkansas) is targeting the end of May or early June for a bill markup. According to Boozman, the House “going ahead and passing something was re...
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.