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Governments Farmer-Friendly Rice Subsidy Backfires

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Few buyers willing to pay extra for Thai rice, the government has over 18 million tons in warehouses

 

BANGKOK – Until last year, business was good for Charoen Laothamatas, the president of Thai rice exporter Uthai Produce. With Thailand dominating the global market for rice exports, Uthai enjoyed strong demand. In 2012, though, Charoen had to cut his workforce by 40 percent. The culprit: a Thai government policy that pays local farmers vastly inflated prices for their rice. While the government sees the program as a way to boost rural incomes, the policy has made Thai rice uncompetitive against rice from Vietnam and India. Before the new policy went into effect, Uthai exported 200,000 tons to the U.S., China, and Hong Kong. This year, he says, “we will be lucky if we get 80,000.”

Harvested and dried rice is loaded onto a truck at the Sahakorn Kan Kasert rice mill in Suphan Buri, Thailand

Charoen’s troubles are related to the political challenges the kingdom has endured since a military coup ousted populist Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in 2006. The current premier is his sister, Yingluck Shinawatra, and in 2011 she decided an easy way to cement her party’s grip on power was to win over farmers by paying above-market prices for their rice. “I earn more and have higher savings thanks to the program,” says Groon To-Chai, a 67-year-old farmer from Nakon Sawan province in central Thailand who says his monthly income has jumped by 50 percent, to 30,000 baht ($1,000). At $571 per metric ton, Thai rice is now much more expensive than Vietnamese and Indian rice.

Thailand’s private exporters either have to buy rice from the government at the inflated price or go directly to farmers, who for obvious reasons prefer selling to the government. Because of the artificially high price, Thai rice exports in 2012 fell 37 percent, according to Thailand’s Ministry of Commerce. Exports for the first 14 weeks of 2013 were down 13.3 percent compared with a year earlier, says the Thai Rice Exporters Association. “We are suffering, and we continue to suffer,” says Korbsook Iamsuri, president of the association.

Thai rice exports in 2012 fell 37 percent, according to Thailand’s Ministry of Commerce

With few buyers willing to pay extra for Thai rice, the government has over 18 million tons in warehouses, according to the UN’s Food and Agriculture Department. “Normally you can keep rice up to one year, and after that the quality starts to go bad,” says Kiattisak Kanlayasirivat, a director in Bangkok with Novel Commodities. After two years, the quality falls by 50 percent. “The grain will become yellow, and some will be spoiled because of insects,” he says.

Commerce Minister Boonsong Teriyapirom told reporters on April 5 that the government plans to sell up to 7 million tons of rice this year. The proceeds from those sales, plus sales from state stockpiles, should bring in 180 billion baht.

Rather than sell the rice on the open market—and risk embarrassment as private dealers see the haircut the government is taking—Thailand is trying government-to-government deals that allow buyer and seller to keep prices secret. On April 15 the Ivory Coast’s Commerce Ministry said it had bought “various qualities” of Thai rice at “competitive and stable” prices. Four months after the 38,500 tons arrived, however, the Ivorian government has had to trash 7,600 tons because of quality problems, according to an official at the Commerce Ministry. Eighty percent of the rice still sits in warehouses. The Ivorian government aims to sell it to wholesalers, says the Commerce official, who refuses to be named because he’s not allowed to talk to the press.

The Thais are selling into a soft market. “There is just no demand for this rice,” says Jac Luyendijk, CEO of SAT Swiss Agri-Trading. “You have to dump it.” Swiss Agri-Trading now buys about 30,000 tons of Thai rice, down from about 200,000 tons before 2011.

Indian rice has flooded the market

When Yingluck first announced plans to increase prices, Thailand didn’t have to compete against India, the second-largest rice producer, since the New Delhi government had banned overseas sales after a global shortage in 2008. The Indians lifted the ban in 2011. Since then, Indian rice has flooded the market. After a record year in 2012, Indian exports are likely to grow another 5 percent this year, according to a survey of estimates by Bloomberg. Thailand needs to cut “at least $100 [per metric ton] from the price they are quoting right now,” says Samarendu Mohanty, head of the social sciences division at the International Rice Research Institute in Manila.

Yingluck’s Cabinet last month approved plans to spend another 100 billion baht to buy rice from farmers. The government puts its overall losses at 80 billion baht, but Korn Chatikavanij, deputy leader of the opposition Democrat Party and former finance minister, says the loss for the first year alone was 200 billion baht. “It’s a disaster,” he says. “We shot ourselves in the foot.”

If Thailand doesn’t cut export prices, it won’t find buyers. But if it slashes prices, the U.S. and other countries might ask the World Trade Organization to impose anti-dumping penalties. Already, the U.S. government has alerted the WTO of its concern about Thai dumping. “If [the WTO] becomes a problem, then we are up a creek,” says Korn. “We would be stuck with rice 40 percent above-market that we couldn’t sell.” A quick fix will probably elude the Thais. “We are in uncharted territory,” says Swiss trader Luyendijk, who predicts three years of depressed global prices. “We have never seen an example of such large stocks of rice in any country.” Uthai Produce’s Charoen worries about the long-term damage. “It takes years to build up a rice exporting industry,” he says. “Now we see it going down the drain.”

The bottom line: The Thai government is sitting on a loss of at least 80 billion baht because of the generous price it’s paying Thai farmers for rice.

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PepsiCo Reduces Revenue Projections As North American Snacks And Key International Markets Underperform.

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(VOR News) – In the third quarter of this year, Pepsi’s net income was $2.93 billion, which is equivalent to $2.13 per share. This was attributed to the company.

This is in stark contrast to net income of $3.09 billion, which is equivalent to $2.24 per share, during the same period in the previous year. The company’s earnings per share were $2.31 when expenses were excluded.

Net sales decreased by 0.6%, totaling $23.32 billion. Organic sales increased by 1.3% during the quarter when the effects of acquisitions, divestitures, and currency changes are excluded.

Pepsi’s beverage sales fell this quarter.

The most recent report indicates that the beverage and food sectors of the organization experienced a 2% decline in volume. Consumers of all income levels are demonstrating a change in their purchasing habits, as indicated by CEOs’ statements from the previous quarter.

Pepsi’s entire volume was adversely affected by the lackluster demand they encountered in North America. An increasing number of Americans are becoming more frugal, reducing the number of snacks they ingest, and reducing the number of times they purchase at convenience stores.

Furthermore, Laguarta observed that the increase in sales was partially attributed to the election that occurred in Mexico during the month of June.

The most significant decrease in volume was experienced by Quaker Foods North America, which was 13%. In December, the company announced its initial recall in response to a potential salmonella infection.

Due to the probability of an illness, the recall was extended in January. Pepsi officially closed a plant that was implicated in the recalls in June, despite the fact that manufacturing had already been halted.

Jamie Caulfield, the Chief Financial Officer of Pepsi and Laguarta, has indicated that the recalls are beginning to have a lessening effect.

Frito-Lay experienced a 1.5% decline in volume in North America. The company has been striving to improve the value it offers to consumers and the accessibility of its snack line, which includes SunChips, Cheetos, and Stacy’s pita chips, in the retail establishments where it is sold.

Despite the fact that the category as a whole has slowed down in comparison to the results of previous years, the level of activity within the division is progressively increasing.

Pepsi executives issued a statement in which they stated that “Salty and savory snacks have underperformed year-to-date after outperforming packaged food categories in previous years.”

Pepsi will spend more on Doritos and Tostitos in the fall and winter before football season.

The company is currently promoting incentive packets for Tostitos and Ruffles, which contain twenty percent more chips than the standard package.

Pepsi is expanding its product line in order to more effectively target individuals who are health-conscious. The business announced its intention to acquire Siete Foods for a total of $1.2 billion approximately one week ago. The restaurant serves Mexican-American cuisine, which is typically modified to meet the dietary needs of a diverse clientele.

The beverage segment of Pepsi in North America experienced a three percent decrease in volume. Despite the fact that the demand for energy drinks, such as Pepsi’s Rockstar, has decreased as a result of consumers visiting convenience stores, the sales of well-known brands such as Gatorade and Pepsi have seen an increase throughout the quarter.

Laguarta expressed his opinion to the analysts during the company’s conference call, asserting, “I am of the opinion that it is a component of the economic cycle that we are currently experiencing, and that it will reverse itself in the future, once consumers feel better.”

Additionally, it has been noted that the food and beverage markets of South Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, and Africa have experienced a decline in sales volume. The company cut its forecast for organic revenue for the entire year on Tuesday due to the business’s second consecutive quarter of lower-than-anticipated sales.

The company’s performance during the quarter was adversely affected by the Quaker Foods North America recalls, the decrease in demand in the United States, and the interruptions that occurred in specific international markets, as per the statements made by Chief Executive Officer Ramon Laguarta.

Pepsi has revised its forecast for organic sales in 2024, shifting from a 4% growth rate to a low single-digit growth rate. The company reiterated its expectation that the core constant currency profitability per share will increase by a minimum of 8% in comparison to the previous year.

The company’s shares declined by less than one percent during premarket trading. The following discrepancies between the company’s report and the projections of Wall Street were identified by LSEG in a survey of analysts:

SOURCE: CNBC

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Old National Bank And Infosys Broaden Their Strategic Partnership.

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Old National Bank And Infosys Broaden Their Strategic Partnership.

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(VOR News) – Old National Bank, a commercial bank with its headquarters in the Midwest, and Infosys, a firm that specializes in information technology, have recently entered into a strategic expansion of their link, which has been in place for the past four years.

This expansion is more likely to take place sooner rather than later, with the likelihood being higher.

For the purpose of making it possible for Old National Bank to make use of the services, solutions, and platforms that are offered by Infosys, the objective of this expansion is to make it possible for the bank to transform its operations and processes through the application of automation and GenAI, as well as to change significant business areas.

This lets the bank leverage Infosys’ services, solutions, and platforms.

Old National Bank Chairman and CEO Jim Ryan said, “At Old National, we are committed to creating exceptional experiences for both our customers and our fellow employees.”

This statement is applicable to Old National Bank. Infosys is carefully managing the business process innovations that it is putting us through, putting a strong emphasis on efficiency and value growth throughout the process to ensure that it is carried out efficiently.

This is a routine occurrence throughout the entire operation. Because of Infosys’ dedication to our development and success, we are incredibly appreciative of the assistance they have provided.

Old National has been receiving assistance from Infosys in the process of updating its digital environment since the year 2020, according to the aforementioned company.

Ever since that time, the company has been providing assistance. The provision of this assistance has been accomplished through the utilization of a model that is not only powerful but also capable of functioning on its own power.

Infosys currently ranks Old National thirty-first out of the top thirty US banks.

This ranking is based on the fact that Old National is the nation’s largest banking corporation.

It is estimated that the total value of the company’s assets is approximately fifty-three billion dollars, while the assets that are currently being managed by the organization are valued at thirty billion dollars.

Dennis Gada, the Executive Vice President and Global Head of Banking and Financial Services, stated that “Old National Bank and Infosys possess a robust cultural and strategic alignment in the development, management, and enhancement of enterprise-scale solutions to transform the bank’s operations and facilitate growth.”

This remark referenced the exceptional cultural and strategic synergy between the two organizations. Dennis Gada is the one who asserted this claim. This was articulated explicitly concerning the exceptional cultural congruence and strategy alignment of the two organizations.

We are pleased to announce that the implementation of Infosys Topaz will substantially expedite the transformation of Old National Bank’s business processes and customer service protocols. We are exceedingly enthusiastic about this matter. We are quite thrilled about this specific component of the scenario.

Medium-sized banks operating regionally will continue to benefit from our substantial expertise in the sector, technology, and operations. This specific market segment of Infosys will persist in benefiting from our extensive experience. This phenomenon will enable this market sector to sustain substantial growth and efficiency benefits.

SOURCE: THBL

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American Water, The Largest Water Utility In US, Is Targeted By A Cyberattack

States Sue TikTok, Claiming Its Platform Is Addictive And Harms The Mental Health Of Children

Qantas Airways Apologizes After R-Rated Film Reportedly Airs On Every Screen During Flight

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American Water, The Largest Water Utility In US, Is Targeted By A Cyberattack

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water

The largest regulated water and wastewater utility company in the United States stated Monday that it had been the target of a cyberattack, forcing the company to halt invoicing to consumers.

water

American Water, The Largest Water Utility In US, Is Targeted By A Cyberattack

American Water, based in New Jersey and serving over 14 million people in 14 states and 18 military facilities, said it learned of the unauthorized activity on Thursday and quickly took precautions, including shutting down certain systems. The business does not believe the attack had an impact on its facilities or operations and said employees were working “around the clock” to determine the origin and scale of the attack.

water

The corporation stated that it has alerted legal enforcement and is cooperating with them. It also stated that consumers will not be charged late fees while its systems are unavailable.

According to their website, American Water operates over 500 water and wastewater systems in around 1,700 communities across California, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.

SOURCE | AP

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