Seaboard, a relatively smaller meat processor, reported that 22 percent of its employees tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. That is not too far behind New York City where 25 percent of the population tested positive. Meat packing is the largest employer in food manufacturing, absorbing nearly 30 percent of the sector’s workers. By contrast, those in the grain and oilseeds comprise just 3.2 percent of the food and agriculture workforce. Farmers get all the glory, but they are just 1.3 percent of the overall workforce or about 10 percent of those working in food and agriculture. But that in itself is a highly skewed number because with 4 percent of farms growing 66 percent of the output, most farms are hobby operations heavi...
Infrastructure investment due diligence
On behalf of a Canadian oilseed processer WPI's team provided market analysis, econometric modeling and financial due diligence in support of a $24 million-dollar investment in a Ukrainian crush plant. Consistent with WPI's findings, local production to supply the plant and the facility's output have expanded exponentially since the investment. WPI has conducted parallel work on behalf of U.S., South American and European clients, both private and public, in the agri-food space.
Key Market Insights The broad market is locked in on this week’s Trump-Xi meeting in Beijing, but this is no longer just a trade summit. Increasingly, the meeting is becoming tied directly to Iran, energy security, and the growing global economic fallout from disruptions through the Strai...