Chinese food supply

- A + A JAKARTA (June 27): Indonesia calls on all countries to act immediately and not to give up in finding a peaceful solution in Ukraine, so that the affected global food supply chain can be restored. Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said this at the "Ministerial Conference on Uniting for Global Food Security" in Berlin, Germany in a hybrid manner last week, which was also attended by foreign ministers, agriculture ministers and development ministers of the G7 countries. Retno said the effects of the current war was not limited to one region but had also destroyed the global food system chain which was already weakened by the pandemic and climate change. Thus, an effective solution is to create a ‘grain corridor’ to export grain from Ukraine, as well as open up the export of food and fertilisers from Russia. "When we fail to overcome the fertiliser crisis, then there will be a rice crisis that will affect the fate of more than two billion people in … [Read more...] about Indonesia urges world to unite to restore global food supply chain

- A + A MUMBAI/BUENOS AIRES/LONDON (June 27): It only took 24 hours last month for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government in India — the world's second-largest producer of wheat — to shelve its plans to "feed the world". In April, Modi had said publicly that the world's most populous democracy was ready to fill part of the gap left by Ukraine in global grains markets by increasing its wheat exports, following five consecutive record harvests. India traditionally exports only a modest amount of wheat, retaining most of its crop for domestic consumption. On May 12, India's Ministry of Commerce & Industry said it was preparing to send delegations to nine countries to export a record 10 million tonnes of wheat this fiscal year — sharply up the previous season. But a barrage of alarming data changed all that. First came a downward revision to India's wheat crop in early May as a sudden heatwave hammered yields. Then data on May 12 showed inflation in the nation … [Read more...] about Food export bans, from India to Argentina, risk fueling inflation

- A + A COLOMBO (June 27): Sri Lanka will shut schools and only allow fuel supplies to services deemed essential like health, trains and buses for two weeks starting Tuesday, a minister said, in a desperate attempt to deal with a severe shortage. Sri Lanka is suffering its worst economic crisis, with foreign exchange reserves at a record low and the island of 22 million struggling to pay for essential imports of food, medicine and, most critically, fuel. Industries like garments, a big dollar earner in the Indian Ocean nation, are left with fuel for only about a week to 10 days. Current stocks of the country will exhaust in just under a week based on regular demand, Reuters calculations show. Sri Lanka will issue fuel only to trains and buses, medical services and vehicles that transport food starting Tuesday until July 10, Bandula Gunewardena, the spokesman for the government cabinet, told reporters. Schools in urban areas will be shut and everyone is urged to … [Read more...] about Sri Lanka stops fuel supply to non-essential services as crisis worsens

FILE PHOTO: Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Brazilian counterpart Jair Bolsonaro shake hands during a news conference following their talks in Moscow, Russia February 16, 2022. Sputnik/Vyacheslav Prokofyev/Pool via REUTERS SAO PAULO — Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Brazilian counterpart, Jair Bolsonaro, discussed global food security and confirmed their intention to strengthen their strategic partnership, the Kremlin said on Monday. Putin assured Bolsonaro in a phone call that Russia would fulfil all its obligations to supply fertilizers to Brazil, the Kremlin said in a statement. The South American leader confirmed his call with Putin during an event on Monday. “I just had a phone call with President Putin of Russia, in which we talked about food security and also energy security,” Bolsonaro said, adding that his agriculture and energy ministers were also on the call. RELATED STORY: Indonesian peace mission to Russia and Ukraine to put focus on … [Read more...] about Russia’s Putin and Brazil’s Bolsonaro discuss global food security

- A + A KUALA LUMPUR (June 27): The technical committee to tackle food security issues that convened on Monday (June 27) has considered the proposal to set a new ceiling price for chicken, as well as the subsidy rate for poultry farmers. Agriculture and Food Industries Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ronald Kiandee in a Facebook post said that the proposal would be brought to the Cabinet Meeting on Wednesday (June 29) before being announced. “The new price control takes into account the interests of breeders, wholesalers and retailers to ensure that the price set is reasonable for all parties. "Additional cash assistance in the form of the ‘Keluarga Malaysia’ (Malaysian Family) Aid (BKM) announced by the Prime Minister has also been taken into account," he said. Also present at the meeting on Monday were Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi and Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Mohd Zuki Ali. Ronald said the meeting also … [Read more...] about Poultry: Technical committee has considered proposal on ceiling price, subsidy for farmers, says Ronald

This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly, on June 20, 2022 - June 26, 2022. - A + A DESPITE the reopening of borders since April 1, when Malaysia allowed quarantine-free travel for fully-vaccinated travellers into the country, it will be some time before the hotel industry regains a strong footing following the debilitating lockdowns of 2020 and 2021. In fact, it may well take another year at least before operators can operate at their full capacities at pre-pandemic levels, Malaysian Association of Hotel Owners (MAHO) president Tan Sri Teo Chiang Hong tells The Edge. “Average occupancy rates are an estimated 30% to 50% of pre-pandemic levels,” says Teo, who is owner and director of One World Hotel in Petaling Jaya, Selangor. He notes that resort destinations are seeing full occupancies while city hotels still face low occupancy. As at November 2020, a total of 204 tourism and hotel operators had shut down following the impact of the … [Read more...] about The State of the Nation: Hospitality industry struggling to cope despite borders reopening, brighter prospects

- A + A (June 27): President Joe Biden rebooted his effort to counter China’s flagship trade-and-infrastructure initiative after an earlier campaign faltered, enlisting the support of Group of Seven (G7) leaders at their summit in Germany. The Build Back Better World initiative, named after Biden’s domestic spending and climate agenda, struggled to get off the ground because not enough G7 partners contributed financially when it was unveiled a year ago, according to people familiar with its lack of progress. European officials cited the Biden administration’s inability to get its own ambitious economic legislation through Congress. “When democracies demonstrate what we can do — all that we have to offer — I have no doubt that we’ll win that competition every time,” Biden said during an event on the sidelines of the summit. The measure has been rebranded the “Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment” (PGII) and the US is calling on leaders to agree to … [Read more...] about US resuscitates bid at G7 to counter China’s Belt and Road

- A + A (June 27): Chinese stocks extended gains into a fifth week, bringing them close to a bull market, as investors turned increasingly upbeat amid eased pandemic curbs in Shanghai. Tech shares also rallied in Hong Kong to the highest in nearly four months. The recent rebound in Chinese equities, which started in April while stocks elsewhere were still selling off, is gaining momentum thanks to an improving economic outlook as well as persistent monetary and fiscal stimulus. President Xi Jinping's planned visit to Hong Kong is boosting stocks that would benefit from easing pandemic restrictions such as Macau casinos. The benchmark CSI 300 Index gained 1.1%, adding 4% in three sessions, led by consumer shares, as Shanghai's leader declared victory in defending the financial hub against Covid-19 and will this week allow residents to dine in restaurants in some areas deemed lower risk. Drinks maker Eastroc Beverage Group Co and food supplier Yihai Kerry … [Read more...] about China stocks approach bull market as investors catch up on gains

- A + A HONG KONG/JOHANNESBURG (June 27): Prosus NV is planning to sell more of its US$134 billion stake in Chinese internet giant Tencent Holdings Ltd to finance a buyback programme, reversing a pledge to hold onto the full shareholding. Tencent declined in Hong Kong on Monday as investors pondered the extent to which Prosus, the Chinese company’s biggest shareholder, will unload its stock. The shares fell as much as 2.5% and traded 1.6% lower at the close. “We will keep selling Tencent shares to buy back our own, it’s open-ended and an unlimited programme,” Prosus Chief Executive Officer Bob Van Dijk said in an interview. “It’s actually a small part of Tencent daily traded volumes — it should be maximum between 3% to 5%.” The move represents a change of heart by Dutch e-commerce giant Prosus — majority owned by South Africa’s Naspers Ltd — which said after its last sale in April 2021 it wouldn’t offload more shares for three years. The company, spun off from … [Read more...] about Tencent backer Prosus to cut US$134 bil stake to buy stock

Siddharthaa Bhaiya, Managing Director and Fund Manager of Aequitas, said their investment philosophy is guided by a multibagger approach that identifies long-term potential through extensive in-house research. They invest in Indian listed equities in small and mid cap space and identify companies that are leaders by way of margin or sales in their respective sectors. Siddharthaa Bhaiya added that they hold stocks through their entire wealth creation journey making average holding period approximately 4-5 years. In an interview to Moneycontrol, he said they do see potential in the auto space. Here are edoited excerpts from that interview: What is your investment philosophy and what is your suggestion to the new-age investors? Close Don't try to time the market : As famously said by Peter Lynch: “Far more money has been lost by investors trying to anticipate corrections, than lost in the corrections themselves.” Nobody can predict what is going to happen … [Read more...] about Don’t try to time the market, advises Siddharthaa Bhaiya of Aequitas