Regional Updates MEDITERRANEAN/MIDDLE EAST/NORTH AFRICA/AFRICA – MEA REGION The Black Sea Grain Initiative has reportedly been extended but there seems to be no agreement on the time period – 60 or 120 days. Even the UN announcement of the extension did not mention the time period. Russia was looking for only 60 days while all other parties wanted 120 days. Pakistan reports that 67 senior government officials have been suspended for the theft of 40,000 MT of milling wheat in Sindh Provence. The wheat is reported to have been stolen from 10 warehouses in the Provence. Afghanistan has asked the United Nations for assistance to avoid food security problems in 2023. This year, Afghanistan will need to purchase about 2 MMT to sup...
Markets are getting into the Halloween spirit, handing out more tricks than treats. There has been some encouraging news, but it hasn’t been enough to slow the broader slide. Now buyers need to show up with something other than another “Charlie Brown” rock for the bag. Somethi...
Key Takeaways: The United States, Brazil, Argentina, and Ukraine dominate global corn exports, with geography, trade relationships, and seasonal production patterns shaping their competitive advantages. U.S. corn exports reached a record 87.1 MMT in 2025/26, with Mexico, Japan, South Korea, an...
Key Takeaways: Dry bulk markets are mixed with Capesize rates seeing solid gains while Panamax values slipped on a growing tonnage list. Supramax and Handysize vessels were stronger, though all sectors remain vulnerable to the seasonal dip in rates through Q4 and into Q1. Falling water l...
From WPI Consulting
Illuminating the value of technical research
On behalf of a commodity producer organization, WPI evaluated the outputs from a project that featured a $5 million investment into technical research over multiple years. WPI’s team captured the results of this extensive effort and synthesized them for presentation to the organization’s governing board; among the findings uncovered and presented for the first time was the development of genomic traits proven, via rigorous testing, to provide crop yield advantages of 50 percent or more to U.S. farmers in times of drought. Capturing measurable results from long-term efforts can be challenging. Educating clients on the dynamics of success measurement when quantifiable results are not readily available requires deep client-consultant collaboration and an ability to consider both near- and long-term client aspirations with market/policy dynamics – attributes that WPI brings to every consulting engagement.