Russian Grain Markets: 1-8 April 2022 During the first week of April, the Russian grain market was predominantly bearish especially on the export front. On the domestic side, the war with Russia in Ukraine, and therefore the expected increased domestic consumer demand, started to raise selling prices despite the global bearish trend. Several factors are driving the current trend: bearish world market, RUR rehabilitation, and the record high export duty. Even with all these bearish factors, domestic prices are still high due to demand on the consumer market for flour, pasta, and other products. Currently, global trade sanctions against Russia and blocked trucks with food and products at the Polish/Belarusian border going to Russia only inte...
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.