Africa - US retail giant Wal-Mart has said it made an offer to buy South Africa-based retailer Massmart Holdings in a deal that could be worth around 4.2 billion dollars and provide a platform for future growth in Africa.

Johannesburg-based Massmart is one of the largest distributors of consumer goods on the African continent with 290 outlets across 13 countries. The majority of stores in its eight wholesale and retail chains are based in South Africa and operate under a variety of different brand names, selling home improvement equipment and supplies, food and general merchandise which includes apparel.

Wal-Mart’s offer of 21.1 dollars a share is subject to a number of conditions including due diligence and a period of reciprocal exclusivity granted by Massmart and Wal-Mart.

“South Africa presents a compelling growth opportunity for Wal-Mart and offers a platform for growth and expansion in other African countries,” said Ms Andy Bond, executive vice-president with responsibility for Wal-Mart’s operations in the region including Britain and Africa. “South Africa possesses attractive market dynamics, favourable demographic trends and a growing economy.”

Source:http://www.aepcindia.com/international.asp?id=381&yr=2010

India - The Associated chamber of Commerce & Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) has suggested introduction of an unified body to develop India’s Logistic Master Plan and integrated road-map for implementation with a view to avoid multiplicity of agencies, both at the Centre and States level, in exercising their powers to regulate the industry.

In a note submitted to the government, the chamber has stated that currently the Ports, Shipping and Maritime Logistics (PSML) are highly fragmented and affecting the growth to the extent of 2% of the GDP on account of logistics and transportation bottlenecks.

Stressing the need for economic, speedy safe and seamless flow of goods, the chamber President, Dr. Swati Piramal said, “logistics cost in India is over 13% of its GDP making India uncompetitive at the international markets due to under-developed trade and poor logistics of the country.”

The chamber has stated that about 90 percent of export-import cargo of the country, including that of its strategic cargoes is carried by foreign flag vessels. This puts the country in a precarious situation as bulk of our essential supplies like oil is carried on foreign flag vessels. This is a vulnerable position as there exists scope for leaving India’s strategic supplies at the risk of an abrupt stoppage in case of any eventuality.

Containerization of cargo requires efficient dry ports and multimodal transport for higher level of service at reduced costs. In India, at present, the prevalence of complicated, lengthy and cumbersome customs procedures are resulting in higher transaction costs. Additionally, practices like detention of goods trains at terminals due to various reasons such as rake formation, availability of locomotives, crew availability and train examination has been detrimental to foreign trade in India. The country is required to focus on this issue.

It has been observed that a variety of industries ranging from warehousing to power plants, steel mills, ship yards, chemical are being developed in the port back areas. Therefore, land acquisition and development of the available land have become most critical components of development of ports and shipping.

Source: http://www.assocham.org/prels/shownews.php?id=2591

The two billion dollar garment export industry in the NCR region with a work force of 3.5 lakh is feeling the heat of police crackdown on migrant labourers. Major garment exporters who met at the AEPC headquarter on September 22 said about one lakh workers have been forced to leave Gurgaon.

The garments were to be exported to the United States, Europe and Far Eastern countries. As 25 to 30 per cent of workers have either resigned or left Gurgaon because of ongoing drive, the garment production has been severely hit.

“Our buyers abroad have threatened us either to meet the deadline of Christmas or they would cancel the orders,” said Mr Sudhir Dhingra, chairman and managing director of Orient Craft, an export house with 18,000 workers. Other export houses and buying houses that participated in the meeting included Pearl Global, Matrix Clothing, Li & Fung India, Impulse, Lyra Industrials and Boutique International.

Source:http://www.aepcindia.com/news.asp?id=379&yr=2010

The Freight Transport Association has heralded the introduction of European-style, anti-trust legislation designed to eliminate cartel activity, including price-fixing, liner conferences and discussion agreements in US liner shipping markets.

The Bill, which was tabled by Congressmen Oberstar and Cummings last night (23 September), marks a significant step in a process that the US National Industrial Transportation League (NITL) and FTA initiated in 1992.

Chris Welsh, FTA’s General Manager of Global and European Affairs, said:

“Make no mistake, these legislative steps represent an historic landmark in the abolition of the sorts of unacceptable cartel activity that have plagued shippers around the world and caused such disruption to the global supply chain.”

There is no doubt that cartels have been behind the cynical rate increases, unfair or deceptive surcharges, capacity shortages and other unacceptable shipping practices that have come to characterise the liner shipping industry in the past year. And this comes at a time when trading conditions are already tough enough.

The NITL has been a prime mover behind Congressman Oberstar’s new Ocean Shipping Reform Bill following unprecedented complaints from US shippers over “roll overs”, the tearing up of service contracts and capacity withdrawals by carriers in the Trans-Pacific trades.

Source: http://www.fta.co.uk/news/item/body-blow-dealt-to-cartels-as-fta-heralds-us-anti-trust-shipping-bill

Sunny Queen Fresh Foods, Sunny Queen’s growing Foods business, has won the prestigious Australian HACCP Conference Award for Small High Risk facilities.

Sunny Queen Fresh specializes in the production of quality egg products, including omelettes and scrambled eggs, made from the freshest Sunny Queen Farm eggs.

The business started only a few years ago but has seen strong growth as customers are becoming more aware of the risks of dealing with raw eggs in commercial kitchens, and are looking to Sunny Queen for egg products of the highest quality that deliver on taste, value, and operational efficiencies, as well as providing the reassurance of being pasteurized and easy to prepare.

‘Winning this award is fantastic recognition for a lot of hard work and commitment from our dedicated team.” commented Azadeh Laghai, Sunny Queen’s National Technical Manager.

“Our facility is staffed by experienced and loyal team members who have a strong focus on food safety. All staff recently participated in a GMP workshop run by Advancing Food Safety and all showed excellent knowledge of critical limits and correct handling procedures.”

“With a small dedicted group of staff, it is possible to achieve a higher degree of control over the finished product,” added Azadeh. “There is a strong focus towards professional excellence which can be seen by the audit results of the last two years.”

Source:http://www.foodindustries.com.au/page.cfm?PageCode=Sunny%20Queen&site_id=1

U.S. - Leaders of the U.S. diamond and jewelry sectors have attended a meeting at the State Department in Washington, D.C., to discuss the U.S. position ahead of the Kimberley Process Plenary Meeting that will take place in Jerusalem, Israel, during the first four days of November.

Dominating the meeting’s agenda was the U.S. policy concerning Kimberley Process-certified rough diamond exports from Zimbabwe, and also the prospects for reforming the structure and operation of the Kimberley Process forum.

Chairing the meeting, which brought together diamond and jewelry industry leaders, as well as representatives of the U.S. government and civil society, was Jose W. Fernandez, the Assistant Secretary of State for Economic, Energy and Business Affairs. In this role, Mr. Fernandez is responsible for U.S. economic sanctions policy and the combating of terrorist financing.

Also in attendance were Deputy Assistant Secretaries of State Robert Cekuta from Economic, Energy and Business Affairs, Susan Page from African Affairs and Dan Baer from Democracy, Human Rights and Labor.

“The degree to which the current U.S. administration is engaged in the Kimberley Process is most evident,” said Moshe Mosbacher. president of the Diamond Dealers Club of New York, following the meeting. “Assistant Secretary Fernandez is planning to attend the KP Plenary in Jerusalem, and that will be the highest level U.S representation at such an event ever since very early days of the Kimberley Process.”

Source: http://www.gjepc.org/news/view.aspx?NewsId=7860

“Responsible Luxury”, a new report released for the first time at a session dedicated to the development of Corporate Social Responsibility in the jewellery industry, which organised by CIBJO, the World Jewellery Confederation,in the United Pavilion at the 2010 Expo in Shanghai, highlights that the luxury industry’s needs to satisfy consumers’ deeper social conscience to secure commercial success for the future.

The report argues that the global recession has forced luxury consumers to rethink the way they live and subsequently their values and beliefs are increasingly being reflected in purchasing decisions. They now demand that Corporate Social Responsibility be embedded in luxury business operations.

According to report author Jonathan Kendall, president of CIBJO’s Marketing and Education Commission, the search for greater efficiency in businesses could result in CSR initiatives being considered “non-essential” elements to axe. The report argues that this is short-sighted because conscientious business practice is no longer simply an add-on and will ensure customer loyalty in the future. This is due to a deceleration in consumption during the recession, which has given people a chance to reflect on their inherent values and beliefs and expect more from a purchase than the product alone. According to a TIME Magazine poll in 2009, for instance, nearly 40 percent of Americans purchased a product because they liked the social or political values of the company that produced it.

Kendall addressed the session in Shanghai, which was prepared by CIBJO, the World Jewellery Confederation, as part of a two-day workshop about CSR run by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research. The workshop wrapped up earlier today.

The “Responsible Luxury” report argues that as we go from recession to recovery, the aspirational luxury industry has the opportunity to lead on CSR in the same way that it sets new trends in fashion, beauty and retail. Savvy luxury brands will increasingly engage customers on a deeper level by ensuring excellence in product design, accessible supply chain information, and a celebration of craftsmanship as well as their ethical, social and environmental behaviour. This, in turn, will be closely linked to a company’s profits.

Source: http://www.gjepc.org/news/view.aspx?NewsId=7852

India’s Shipping Minister, G K Vasan, who is leading a delegation of senior government officials and business leaders from the India maritime sector to Singapore, today invited Singapore to participate in India’s port development programme. He outlined the opportunities for foreign investors in India’s USD 20.8 billion port upgradation and modernisation programme involving 276 ports, many of which are Public-Private Partnership projects in various stages of implementation or bidding.

Minister Vasan was speaking at a seminar on the Ports and Maritime Industry of India organized by the Indian High Commission and CII today.

Similarly, India is also surging ahead in shipping and ship-building, the Minister said. India is currently ranked 16th among the maritime countries in terms of the size of its merchant shipping fleet and tonnage has grown from 6.94 million GT in 2004 to cross the 10 million GT mark last month for the first time. Shipbuilding has high growth potential owing to certain inherent strengths, especially low labour cost, strong domestic demand, well-established steel and manufacturing industry and availability of technically qualified manpower, and an investment of USD 4 billion is envisaged in Indian shipyards in the near future.

Apart from investments, India also looks to Singapore for expertise, given Singapore’s impressive and world-class port and maritime industry, the Minister added. Many Singaporean companies have already invested in India’s ports, maritime and logistics sector and also entered into joint ventures with Indian companies, but given the expected healthy growth of the Indian economy, there is tremendous potential for Singaporean companies. Minister Vasan outlined some of the key investor friendly policy initiatives taken by the Ministry and assured the Government of India’s complete support to Singaporean companies investing in the sector.

Source:http://www.cii.in/NewsRoom.aspx?enc=SO0wa+TYDvk3FXKFO1bn1Q==

India - There is tremendous potential for Indian aviation to grow, currently 42 million annual passengers fly domestically and 34 million internationally. “If Indians flew as much as Americans, it would be a market of over 4 billion passengers. With the spending power of Indians set to triple over the next two years, the potential for growth is incredible,” said Mr. Giovanni Bisignani, Director General & CEO of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) at an Interactive meeting on “Challenges of Indian Aviation” organized by Confederation of Indian industry (CII) today.

India has to have a more coordinated cross-ministry government approach in shoring-up the gains in India’’s aviation industry. But there is still much more to be done. It’’s time to take care of structural weaknesses and go for a comprehensive approach with a common vision by all involved,” said Giovanni

Key areas requiring special attention to improve the Aviation market are safety, infrastructure, liberalization, policy coordination, security and environment.

The success of India’’s airlines should not be compromised by an archaic investment policy that isolates them from global trends,” said Bisignani noting recent trends of consolidation, multi-hub and multi-brand strategies. . India allows 100% FDI in transit systems, ports, harbors, hotels, ocean transport and road systems. But airline FDI is restricted to 49%. Moreover, no foreign airline can invest in an Indian airline.

To build competitiveness, it is critical that the costs of operating in India are reduced. “It is an embarrassing situation for such a relevant country as India-which is a member of the ICAO Council-to be ignoring rules that it has helped to develop,” said Bisignani.

The air transport industry has committed to improve fuel efficiency by 1.5% per year to 2020, cap net emissions from 2020 with carbon-neutral growth and cut net emissions in half by 2050 compared to 2005.

“IATA continues to expand our India operations….this could be the decade when Indian aviation will reach its potential. But there are no guarantees for success without continued hard work, change and a common vision for success shared across government and with the industry. India has come a long way in addressing the challenges of growth. The foundations for success are half-laid and IATA will continue its support to help finish the job,” added Bisignani.

Source:http://www.cii.in/NewsRoom.aspx?enc=SO0wa+TYDvk3FXKFO1bn1Q==

India : The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) in cooperation with the National Institute of Food Technology Entrepreneurship and Management (NIFTEM), Government of India organized a one-day Seminar-cum-Workshop on “Opportunities in the Food Processing Sector”, today at Bhopal.

Addressing the Seminar Mr Uttam Ganguly, Chairman, CII Madhya Pradesh State Council emphasized that over the last decade, government has recognized the critical role of processed food industry in stimulating the growth of Indian Agriculture and the national economy. He pointed out that food processing enhances shelf life and reduces wastages.

It also offers hygienic and convenient food to the consumer, he added. He also emphasized that taking the national advantages offered by food processing industry into consideration, the National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship and Management (NIFTEM), which is being set up by Ministry of Food Processing Industry, GoI, will cater to the needs of all the stakeholders such as entrepreneurs, industry, exporters, policy makers, government and other research institutions and urged all the stake holders involved in the programme to come forward and support the initiative to make it a grand success.

Mr Anil Shrivastava, Managing Director, MP State Agro Industries Development Corporation Ltd while delivering his keynote address appreciated CII initiative to create awareness among all stakeholders responsible for development of food processing sector and also to highlight role of NIFTEM in this direction. Madhya Pradesh State Government is considering food processing as one of the thrust sectors and focusing on development of infrastructure in terms of food parks, cold storage, perishable goods cargo hubs at Indore & Bhopal and multimodal logistics hub to support this sector, he added.

Dr Tarun Kapur, Principal Scientist, CIAE, Bhopal, briefed the participants on Food Processing Opportunities – Vis – a - Vis the state of Madhya Pradesh. He said that as far as Madhya Pradesh is concerned it is the centrally located and offers a great opportunity in Food Processing and Horticulture.

The workshop had three technical sessions. The first session was on NIFTEM in development of future food technologies, entrepreneurship and management. Second was on Food processing – Sunrise Sector in Madhya Pradesh and last session was on orientation for incumbent entrepreneurs.

Source:http://www.cii.in/NewsRoom.aspx?enc=SO0wa+TYDvk3FXKFO1bn1Q==