U.S. flour exports were down slightly for the first quarter of the year, but that is generally par for the industry. Turkey produces one-third the volume of wheat as the U.S. but exports three times the volume of flour. Some suspect subsidies are a determinant of this outcome. Of course, a large portion of U.S. flour exports are via food aid, a form of subsidy. The U.S. was a major exporter of wheat flour in the aftermath of WWII, but many recipient countries realized that flour mills were an affordable way to create value-added jobs and began building their own capacity. U.S. flour exports have stabilized but with increased attention to cash in lieu of commodities in international food aid, the trade may face further contraction. This mea...
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.