The demand for vegetable oils in India has increased over the years. Current additional factors affecting the growth in imports are the delay in the soybean harvest and quality issues that could impact the oil supply domestically over the next few months. Food Inflation Rises Again Escalating food prices in India have led to a poll debacle in Delhi. The ruling Congress party lost a major share of a 70-seat state assembly. It was routed by a rookie opposition party that claimed 28 seats, while the Congress party was able to win only 8. One of the major issues was growing inflation accompanied by rising food prices. No party could garner enough votes/seats to avoid a hung assembly, and the government is still to be formed as middle-cla...
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.