Kenyan farmers are saying that the extended duty-free maize import period will make large volumes of those low-cost stocks available when the local crop is harvested in September. They are also unhappy about the impact of a Kenya Food Reserve Agency decision. Regional Updates MIDDLE EAST/MEDITERRANEAN COMMENTS Egypt’s supply minister has said that wheat imports will total about 7 MMT in 2017/18 versus 6 MMT in 2016/17. With national consumption at 15 MMT annually, this means 8 MMT will have to come from local production, which is quite achievable since that is the level of the five-year average, or drawn from the government’s reserve stocks of 5 MMT.Egypt’s new bread subsidy scheme becomes effective 1 August, and the government says that...
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.