Inverses in Support Developing countries want the WTO to impose new disciplines on agricultural domestic supports by rich countries. They correctly argue that via the Uruguay Round, rich countries locked in higher subsidy levels than the developing nations. However, the developing countries could not afford higher domestic subsidies at the time and instead use higher border measures to ensure farm income. It was a quid pro quo at the time. Now the larger developing countries like China, India, and Brazil are boosting their domestic supports despite some adverse WTO rulings against them. China this week vowed to increase its subsidies for corn and soybean production, and to stabilize prices for wheat and rice. Brazil says it will increase t...
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...
Illuminating the value of technical research
On behalf of a commodity producer organization, WPI evaluated the outputs from a project that featured a $5 million investment into technical research over multiple years. WPI’s team captured the results of this extensive effort and synthesized them for presentation to the organization’s governing board; among the findings uncovered and presented for the first time was the development of genomic traits proven, via rigorous testing, to provide crop yield advantages of 50 percent or more to U.S. farmers in times of drought. Capturing measurable results from long-term efforts can be challenging. Educating clients on the dynamics of success measurement when quantifiable results are not readily available requires deep client-consultant collaboration and an ability to consider both near- and long-term client aspirations with market/policy dynamics – attributes that WPI brings to every consulting engagement.