Regional Updates MEDITERRANEAN/MIDDLE EAST/NORTH AFRICA A group of Pakistan flour mills reportedly booked 60,000 MT of Black Sea wheat for September shipment at $227 MT CNF. Areas of Pakistan that have been under attack from desert locusts are now said to be seeing outbreaks of fall armyworms (FAW). The Punjab area of Pakistan seems to be the worst affected by FAW. So far, the FAW outbreaks are small but, as experience shows, they can spread very rapidly. Farmers are said to be well supplied with insecticide to help control the spread. Also in Pakistan, inbound wheat vessels are being given berthing priority in Karachi Port so that wheat supplies can be quickly discharged and distributed. The priority berthing was a voluntary acti...
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.