Tea estates

Some Indian tea plantations stamped slavery-free are abusing and underpaying their workers, according to new data that experts said could erode consumer trust in ethically-sourced products. A study from Britain's Sheffield University, revealed exclusively by the Thomson Reuters Foundation on Thursday, showed certification schemes by groups such as Fairtrade and Rainforest Alliance are failing to stop labor exploitation. The report found little difference in the conditions of about 600 tea workers surveyed on certified and non-certified farms in Assam and Kerala, India's major tea producing regions. All lived below the poverty line and workers on certified farms were often treated worse, facing beatings and sexual violence and having wages and benefits withheld, the study said. The tea industry in India, the world's second-largest producer that employs 3.5 million workers, has faced accusations of abusive conditions before but this is the one of the first studies into the certified … [Read more...] about Expose of labor abuse brews trouble for ‘slave-free’ Indian tea

Farmers harvest tea at Dong Hy District in the northern province of Thai Nguyen, which is one of the provinces growing tea for export. — VNA/VNS Photo Hong Ky About 14,200 tonnes of Vietnamese tea, worth over US$22.5 million, was shipped to Taiwan between January and September, marking a year-on-year increase of 6.1 per cent in volume and 8.3 per cent in value. Taiwan’s tea imports exceeded 24,000 tonnes worth $60 million in the nine-month period. Taiwan mostly purchases green tea from Việt Nam and Japan, with the amount from Việt Nam accounting for 84.1 per cent of the total import. According to Chairman of the Vietnam Tea Association Nguyễn Hữu Tài, Việt Nam has 125,000 hectares of tea farms, mainly in the northern provinces of Thai Nguyen, Ha Giang, Phu Tho, Tuyen Quang and Yen Bai, and the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong. He said Việt Nam has the world’s second largest area producing tea, behind China. The country … [Read more...] about Viet Nam’s export of tea to Taiwan up

A corner of the Phu My Hung residential area in District 7, HCM City (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Since the Investment Law took effect in July 2015, Vietnam’s FDI inflows, and the real estate sector in particular, have significantly increased in terms of merger and acquisition (M&A) activities. Statistics released at the Vietnam M&A Forum in Ho Chi Minh City in August 2018 showed that in the first five months of the year, the total value of M&A transactions in the Vietnamese market had reached 3.55 billion USD, equivalent to 155 percent of the figure recorded in the same period last year. Of the sum, property deals made up 66.75 percent. Meanwhile, in 2017, M&A deals were valued at 10.2 billion USD, up 175 percent against 2016, with real estate accounting for only 27 percent following consumer goods production with 57 percent. Therefore, the numbers reported in the first half of the year demonstrate that the real estate sector has attracted greater … [Read more...] about Real estate sees rise in M&A deals

Khang Dien, Phat Dat, Dat Xanh and Nam Long are the most powerful realtors thanks to their big capitalization value. There are only four names among real estate firms which have capitalization value of between $300 million and $1 billion. There are only four names among real estate firms which have capitalization value of between $300 million and $1 billion. In addition to Binh Duong and Dong Nai, Long An province is now considered a new choice for industrial real estate investors. Linh Ha  Thanh Thanh Cong Investment to buy 16 mln shares of Sai Gon Thuong Tin Real Estate Thanh Thanh Cong Investment JSC is to buy more than 16 million shares of Sai Gon Thuong Tin Real Estate JSC (SCR), equivalent to 4.7 percent of the company’s outstanding shares. VN real estate firms issue bonds again There are two typical characteristics of the real estate firms’ race to issue bonds – the high amount of bonds issued and the high interest rates. … [Read more...] about The big four in Vietnam’s real estate market

As the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) has ordered tight control over real estate loans by credit institutions, property firms and developers have to seek alternative ways to raise their capital. Real estate firms must seek alternative ways to raise their capital as the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) has ordered tight control over real estate loans.  The central bank increased the risk weighting of real estate loans from 200 percent to 250 percent in 2019, which is a significant disincentive for banks to make loans to the property sector since their minimum capital requirement is a ratio of their risk-weighted assets under the Basel norms. Meanwhile, the SBV’s regulation on reducing the maximum quantum of short-term deposits that can be used for medium- and long-term loans from 45 percent to 40 percent will reduce banks’ liquidity. To that end, realty enterprises need to count on other source, especially when the interest rate risks are high. Phat Dat Real Estate … [Read more...] about Vietnam real estate firms issue bonds to raise capital