EU WORKS WITH ASIAN COTTON PRODUCERS TO INCREASE ENVIRONMENTALLY-FRIENDLY OUTPUT
Multan, PAKISTAN -- The world's leading cotton production is centered in
Asia. China, India and Pakistan account for 46% of the world's
total cotton production.
However, in recent times, cotton production has become stagnant, with the world
average yield for 1998-99 estimated at 551 kilograms (1,212 lbs) per
hectare.
Moreover, cotton output has begun to decline due to growing resistance of pests
to insecticides -- and this has caused the price of cotton to climb. As a result,
cotton's share of total fiber used worldwide had dropped by 7% during the last 10 years
and in 1999 it is expected to account for only 42.4% of total consumption, as the natural
fiber faces growing competition from producers of synthetic, less expensive fibers.
The EU has launched a US$12.7 million program with China, India,
Pakistan, Bangladesh, the Philippines and Vietnam to increase
environmentally-friendly cotton production. That is, to produce cotton with more than
50% less pesticides, while increasing output. (Of course, this reduction will have a great
impact on the pesticide industry whose total worldwide sales were US$12
billion in 1995; and, of this, they sold 15% to cotton producers.)
This new EU program is designed to give the Asian countries the resources they need
to combat the insecticide troubles, and to increase output and stabilize prices.
Moreover, additional programs to increase awareness of natural fibers are needed to
help promote cotton usage around the world.
Reader's Comments
(Source: YOUR LINK HERE)
IVORY COAST'S EXPORT OF COCOA THREATENED BY NEW EU CHOCOLATE DIRECTIVE
Abidjan, IVORY COAST -- The Ivory Coast's economy relies heavily on chocolate
production in Europe. As the world's leading cocoa producer, accounting
for 40% of world exports, the Ivory Coast is greatly concerned about the
new directive put forth in EU countries to allow chocolate-makers to put less cocoa
butter in their products and still call it chocolate. Vegetable fats would be permitted to
replace cocoa butter up to a limit of 5% of total weight.
If the directive is approved, it is expected that cocoa
prices, which have been declining since October 1998, would continue to fall by
another 20%. Authorities project that financial losses could reach a magnitude of
US$530 million for the ACP (African, Caribbean and Pacific) countries.
(Source: YOUR LINK HERE)
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PRUDENTIAL CONTINUES EXPANSION INTO ASIA
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TOURISM TO CHINA ON THE RISE AGAIN
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Taipei, TAIWAN -- Prudential Corporation, Britain's largest life insurance
company has announced the purchase of Hung Fu Life Insurance Company of Taiwan,
originally founded in 1994. The takeover offer was more than US$102 million ($3.3
billion Taiwan) for a 90% stake in the Taiwanese company. This purchase is part
of Prudential's plans to expand business further throughout Asia, where they are
already doing business in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand,
Indonesia and India.
Hung Fu has between 200 - 250,000 customers and 1998 net
assets worth 820,000 British pounds ($42 million Taiwan), and market capitalization of
$4.6 billion Taiwan. Other major insurance companies in Taiwan include Germany's
insurance giant Allianz AG, Aetna Life Insurance and local insurance
carriers including Cathay Life Insurance and Shin Kong Life Insurance.
(Source: YOUR LINK HERE)
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Beijing, CHINA -- Tourism to China is back on the upswing, with increasing
visitors and revenues -- both up by more than 14% from January through May 1999. During
this period, more than 28 million tourists have traveled to China, from which China
derived an estimated US$5.7 billion in revenues. While US visitorship accounted for
a 10% increase, Indonesian and Thai tourists showed the largest increases (89% and 65%,
respectively), during these first five months. As the Asian economies show continued signs
of improvement, tourists from Japan, South Korea and Malaysia continue to travel in
increasing numbers to China.
Tourism continued to show improvement this year over last, despite anti-NATO
demonstrations in Beijing following the bombing of the Chinese embassy in
Yugoslavia on May 7. Overall, China recorded more than 5.8
million visitors this past May, up 12.9% from last year.
Reader's Comments
(Source: YOUR LINK HERE)
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RETAIL INVENTORY/PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT TO BECOME MORE COLLABORATIVE
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DIGITAL TV RECOGNIZES GROWING IMPORTANCE OF HISPANIC VIEWERS IN US MARKET
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Newton, MA - USA -- The advent of internet technology combined with traditional
pen/paper and fax-based communications have caused the retail industry to take a fresh look
at supply chain management. With new capabilities available to re-engineer the
process of communications, forecasting and logistics/transportation, we can expect
to see greater competition among retailers as they implement better integrated
retailer-manufacturer systems. A recent study released by Retail Systems Alert
Group, noted that retailers with aging systems have an immediate demand for this. For
more information, see www.retailsystems.com.
(Source: YOUR LINK HERE)
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New York, USA -- Recognizing the growing importance of the US Hispanic market,
Univision Communications Inc. and DIRECTV, Inc. announced an
agreement to add Univision Television Network, the country's leading
Spanish-language television broadcast company and Galavision, the
nation's leading Spanish-language cable network to its lineup later this month.
These Spanish language services will reach more than 5 million DIRECTV customers
at no additional cost to subscribers. And the goal is to attract new Hispanic
customers to the digital TV franchise.
DIRECTV is the leading provider of digital television
in the US with more than 7 million subscribers who have access to more
than 210 channels of programming.
(Source: YOUR LINK HERE)
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