Macroeconomic Trends Food Prices in November Decline Year-On-Year For the first time since January 2018, average monthly food prices in China were down on an annualized basis according to the National Bureau of Statistics. The strong recovery in the country’s live hog and breeding sow inventory with African Swine Fever (ASF) being held at bay pushed down pork prices at the retail level by 12.5 percent this past November compared to November 2019. Record imports of beef, chicken, and pork have also aided in reducing the burden on consumers who for half of 2019 and most of 2020 saw record levels of food inflation. Overall, food prices fell last month by 2 percent from one-year ago. Other notable decreases included eggs, which declined...
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.