Global corn imports continue to expand but increases by Vietnam and the EU standout. Mexico remains a major market, but imports are growing at roughly the same rate as the world as a whole, around five percent per year. By contrast, over the past decade Vietnam’s corn imports have grown 14.1 percent and the EU’s corn imports have jumped an impressive 26.5 percent. Demands in Europe for self-sufficiency in protein crops like soybeans is at odds with the import trends. While corn imports are spiking, soybean imports have averaged just two percent annual increases. ...
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.