News Updates While the exact dates will vary by country, it appears that Eid Al Adha will begin on either 14 or 15 October. Most private companies will be closed for at least three days, while some government offices could be closed longer. Both Saudi Arabia and the UAE indicate that government offices will be closed for six days. This means that there may be only one working day the week of 14 October for some countries. MEDITERRANEAN/MIDDLE EAST COMMENTS 2013/14 Jordanian grain imports seem to be increasing by about 5 percent to a total of 2.3 MMT. Wheat imports are expected to remain flat at 800,000 MT, but barley imports should increase by about 10 percent and could approach close to 800,000 MT. Corn imports will increase sli...
As predicted, the Federal Reserve held rates steady at the last meeting before the midterm elections, likely in part because of the election (see WPI 19 October and 22 September). The decision comes at the tail end of a midterm election cycle that has been marked by the two parties campaigning...
Key Takeaways: WPI’s new EU rapeseed crushing margin models point to weaker processing returns over the next four months due to higher rapeseed procurement costs and weaker product values. Statistical forecasts call for German crushing margins to decline from €181/MT to €...
Key Takeaways: The tariff burden rose sharply in 2025 and 2026: the effective rate on imports in HTS Chapters 1–24 increased from 1.53 percent in 2024 to 6.11 percent in 2025, before averaging 5.68 percent in January–August 2026. Headline rates tell only part of the story: exemptio...
From WPI Consulting
Accountability and a comprehensive approach to export programming
WPI’s team helped construct a strategic approach to develop, implement, and track promotional activities in 8 key regions across the globe for an agricultural export association. With continued progress measurement and strategic advisory services from WPI, the association has seen its ROI from investments in promotional programming increase by 44 percent over the past 5 years. Not only does this type of holistic approach to organizational strategy provide measurable results to track and analyze, it fosters top-down and bottom-up organizational accountability.