World Perspectives
softs

Yams versus Sweet Potatoes

Yams and sweet potatoes are easily confused and yet they are very different crops, including in global trade. Yams are starchier are more like potatoes, whereas sweet potatoes are sweet. Roughly the same volume of yams and sweet potatoes are produced by the world’s largest producers. Yet yams are mostly produced in Africa and consumed locally, whereas sweet potatoes also have roots in Asia and North America.  Moreover, sweet potatoes have been a growing export business. The U.S. is the largest exporter, while China and Vietnam now compete against each other for the number two slot. Their exports have been more variable with Vietnam joining the fray more recently and pulling ahead of China in the most recently available data.&n...

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U.S. Labor Day Holiday

The U.S. will celebrate Labor Day on Monday, 1 September, and the U.S. markets as well as our office will be closed that day. The next Ag Perspectives will be published Tuesday, 2 September.  ...

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From WPI Consulting

Illuminating the value of technical research

On behalf of a commodity producer organization, WPI evaluated the outputs from a project that featured a $5 million investment into technical research over multiple years. WPI’s team captured the results of this extensive effort and synthesized them for presentation to the organization’s governing board; among the findings uncovered and presented for the first time was the development of genomic traits proven, via rigorous testing, to provide crop yield advantages of 50 percent or more to U.S. farmers in times of drought. Capturing measurable results from long-term efforts can be challenging. Educating clients on the dynamics of success measurement when quantifiable results are not readily available requires deep client-consultant collaboration and an ability to consider both near- and long-term client aspirations with market/policy dynamics – attributes that WPI brings to every consulting engagement.

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