Although coffee futures are edging back up (Arabica hit a peak a month ago), prices are descending in longer dated contracts as Brazil is expected to supply a good crop. The normally higher priced arabica has been getting chased by robusta prices as buyers seek substitution to save costs. World production has been down two years in a row, dropping last year nearly 6 percent from the 2021 peak, and down around 2.2 percent this year though better than in 2022. The CAGR for coffee demand has been 5.7 percent and this imbalance in supply and demand is reflected in prices. The peak for coffee prices was in 2011 and they hit their second highest level in 2022. Current pricing is the second highest since 2014. Assuming weather cooperates, g...
Key Takeaways: Dry bulk markets are mixed this week with larger vessel classes seeing strong demand from iron ore and coal while Supramax and Handysize rates remain steady. Congestion at the Panama Canal has eased but forward booking slots are showing signs of bottlenecks as draft levels...
Key Takeaways: Ghana’s new law classifies all cocoa plantations as “protected farms,” which carries significant implications for farmers. Chief among these implications is the inability to switch area under cocoa to other crops, even when economic or biological conditio...
From WPI Consulting
Accountability and a comprehensive approach to export programming
WPI’s team helped construct a strategic approach to develop, implement, and track promotional activities in 8 key regions across the globe for an agricultural export association. With continued progress measurement and strategic advisory services from WPI, the association has seen its ROI from investments in promotional programming increase by 44 percent over the past 5 years. Not only does this type of holistic approach to organizational strategy provide measurable results to track and analyze, it fosters top-down and bottom-up organizational accountability.