News Updates MEDITERRANEAN/MIDDLE EAST COMMENTS Syria is said to be having some success with its plans to pay for grain imports using blocked funds in foreign bank accounts. While this program has taken some time to get implemented because of the complicated procedures and approvals, it now seems that some European governments and banks are being more cooperative. Trade reports indicate that the Syrian government is now able to pay for 500,000 MT of wheat that had been purchased by the official authority (Hoboob) and as much as 150,000 MT have now been paid for from blocked funds and shipped. Close to 250,000 MT are expected to load from France in coming weeks. The payment funds are still blocked overall and can only be used for imports...
From WPI Consulting
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.