Regional Updates MIDDLE EAST/MEDITERRANEAN COMMENTS Egypt reports that the government has purchased 3.66 MMT of local wheat. The total is expected to increase as it will buy wheat until the end of June. The Romanian wheat cargo that had been rejected in Egypt will now be allowed to enter the country after passing its second sampling and analysis. Pakistan reports that the 2018/19 wheat crop plus additional stocks will reach about 28 MMT against national consumption of just under 26 MMT. This would indicate a surplus of 2 MMT, which is not much at less than 10 percent of the total and lower than the 3.7 MMT said to be carried over in the previous year. Morocco’s barley production is forecast to drop from 2.9 MMT to just over 1 MMT...
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.