Regional Updates MEDITERRANEAN/MIDDLE EAST/NORTH AFRICA Afghanistan’s agriculture will benefit from a $65 million donation by the Asian Development Bank to the United Nations FAO to raise Afghanistan’s local food production, including wheat cultivation, livestock feed production, and veterinary support. The funding should help 150,000 small wheat producers and 100,000 marginal livestock farmers. Pakistan is seeing wheat flour shortages in Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city, and is having to move in wheat for milling from rural areas in Sindh province. 107,000 MT of wheat will be moved in for both February and March. Pakistan farm associations are saying wheat production could drop by 40 percent due to a short...
What You Need to Know Today: The June jobs report showed nonfarm payrolls increased by 57k jobs, less than the 115k jobs expected by economists surveyed by Dow Jones. The labor force participation rate dropped by 0.3 percent to 61.5 percent, the lowest since March 2021, and the lowest in 50 ye...
As Cuba's economic crisis has deepened, discussions about the country's eventual economic and political transition have reemerged. One question that inevitably follows is what opportunities might emerge for U.S. agricultural exports. So, here’s a brief review of those opportunities, but n...
Key Takeaways Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz is increasing steadily, despite a precarious political situation. The increased flow of vessels through the SOH is pressuring tanker rates, though total volumes remain well below pre-war levels. The big issue in the Strait of Hormu...
From WPI Consulting
Weighing in on strategic realignment
WPI’s team was retained by the governing board of a U.S. industry organization to review a decision, reached by vote, to invest significant assets into the development and management of an export trading company. WPI’s team conducted a formal review of this decision and concluded that the current level of market saturation would limit the benefits of the investment. Based on WPI’s analysis and recommended actions, the board subsequently reversed its decision and undertook a strategic planning effort to identify more impactful investments. On behalf of numerous clients, WPI has not only assisted in identifying strategic paths but also advised their implementation.