Wednesday, April 22, 2009
China Promotes Black Tea Export
China Promotes Black Tea Export
2009-04-14 14:37:33 CRIENGLISH.com Web Editor: Cao Jie
Global tea prices are surging as some major exporting countries suffer from declining production due to severe drought. The 'United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization' estimates that tea prices will soar if production continues to drop. Will this deepening shortfall present a business opportunity for China, which boasts the largest tea production operation in the world? Our reporter Wang Ling has more.
Reporter:
An extending gap between demand and supply has driven international tea prices soaring, as explained in the FAO's preliminary estimates. The pinch is felt mainly by consumers of red-tea, which makes up 80% of the global tea export market. China, being the biggest green-tea exporter, however, would be able to secure the chance to find a niche market. Wu Xi-duan, the director general of the 'China Tea Marketing Association', explains.
"The global tea market is suffering from a short supply of black tea since some major exporters, like Kenya, Sri Lanka and India, were hit by drought. Southwest China's Yunnan province enjoys a reputation for its vintage black-tea and hopefully we can take this opportunity to promote China's black tea to the world market. "
However, Wu Xi-duan says black-tea only accounts for 13% of China's tea export which means the increasing demand on the global market can only provide a nudge for China's tea trade.
"Last year China had a tea export volume of 300 thousand tons, out of which black-tea only made up 40 thousand tons. We are taking steps to boost production of black-tea to meet global market demand; however, we anticipate an export growth of no more than three tons in the coming year. "¡¡¡¡¡¡
Wu Xi-duan explained that most of China's tea products are sold in the domestic market, which summed up to 900 thousand tons out of the total production of 1.24 million tons last year. Yet, with rapid increase of tea production, China has topped India to become the biggest tea producer in the world and as a consequence looks forward to increasing its global market share.
Sun Yu, who exports Chinese tea products, says the local tea industry is looking for an international approach through some trademark products.
"We also have reputed brand names, like Qimen red tea and Tan Yang Kung fu black tea, which have already achieved stable sales on the international market. However, small-scale production has restrained Chinese black tea from getting into the international market. So we are now working to help tea producers improve production and quality of kung fu red tea. At the same time, we are intensifying promotion efforts by offering our international buyers more knowledge about Chinese tea culture. "
What's more, Sun Yu says Chinese tea producers are introducing new types of tea other than the traditional green tea, black tea, or oolong tea to the market. Healthier tea products like organic tea and caffeine-free tea have offered more choice for foreign tea buyers. Here is Sun Yu again.
"With government support, China's tea industry is growing rapidly, both in terms of quantity and quality. We have our sights firmly set on tea production to ensure consumers can enjoy safe, healthy and high quality tea. Plus, we are engaging in more international cooperation, such as the Tea Industry Conference which is held every two years. We're also inviting foreign tea experts to visit our tea farms and production lines, so they can get to know more about the Chinese tea industry and provide us with more expert opinions."
Sun Yu says he hopes through these efforts, Chinese tea will soon be the first choice among more and more foreign tea lovers.
Wang Ling, for Biz China.
2009-04-14 14:37:33 CRIENGLISH.com Web Editor: Cao Jie
Global tea prices are surging as some major exporting countries suffer from declining production due to severe drought. The 'United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization' estimates that tea prices will soar if production continues to drop. Will this deepening shortfall present a business opportunity for China, which boasts the largest tea production operation in the world? Our reporter Wang Ling has more.
Reporter:
An extending gap between demand and supply has driven international tea prices soaring, as explained in the FAO's preliminary estimates. The pinch is felt mainly by consumers of red-tea, which makes up 80% of the global tea export market. China, being the biggest green-tea exporter, however, would be able to secure the chance to find a niche market. Wu Xi-duan, the director general of the 'China Tea Marketing Association', explains.
"The global tea market is suffering from a short supply of black tea since some major exporters, like Kenya, Sri Lanka and India, were hit by drought. Southwest China's Yunnan province enjoys a reputation for its vintage black-tea and hopefully we can take this opportunity to promote China's black tea to the world market. "
However, Wu Xi-duan says black-tea only accounts for 13% of China's tea export which means the increasing demand on the global market can only provide a nudge for China's tea trade.
"Last year China had a tea export volume of 300 thousand tons, out of which black-tea only made up 40 thousand tons. We are taking steps to boost production of black-tea to meet global market demand; however, we anticipate an export growth of no more than three tons in the coming year. "¡¡¡¡¡¡
Wu Xi-duan explained that most of China's tea products are sold in the domestic market, which summed up to 900 thousand tons out of the total production of 1.24 million tons last year. Yet, with rapid increase of tea production, China has topped India to become the biggest tea producer in the world and as a consequence looks forward to increasing its global market share.
Sun Yu, who exports Chinese tea products, says the local tea industry is looking for an international approach through some trademark products.
"We also have reputed brand names, like Qimen red tea and Tan Yang Kung fu black tea, which have already achieved stable sales on the international market. However, small-scale production has restrained Chinese black tea from getting into the international market. So we are now working to help tea producers improve production and quality of kung fu red tea. At the same time, we are intensifying promotion efforts by offering our international buyers more knowledge about Chinese tea culture. "
What's more, Sun Yu says Chinese tea producers are introducing new types of tea other than the traditional green tea, black tea, or oolong tea to the market. Healthier tea products like organic tea and caffeine-free tea have offered more choice for foreign tea buyers. Here is Sun Yu again.
"With government support, China's tea industry is growing rapidly, both in terms of quantity and quality. We have our sights firmly set on tea production to ensure consumers can enjoy safe, healthy and high quality tea. Plus, we are engaging in more international cooperation, such as the Tea Industry Conference which is held every two years. We're also inviting foreign tea experts to visit our tea farms and production lines, so they can get to know more about the Chinese tea industry and provide us with more expert opinions."
Sun Yu says he hopes through these efforts, Chinese tea will soon be the first choice among more and more foreign tea lovers.
Wang Ling, for Biz China.
Pricey Chinese chopstick tax hits Japanese restaurateurs
Pricey Chinese chopstick tax hits Japanese restaurateurs
Staff Writer
13/05/2006 3:35 AM
TOKYO -- Walk into any Japanese noodle shop or restaurant and chances are you'll be eating with a pair of disposable wooden chopsticks from China. But not for long.
In a move that has cheered environmentalists but worried restaurant owners, China has slapped a five per cent tax on the chopsticks over concerns of deforestation.
The move is hitting hard at the Japanese, who go through a tremendous 25 billion sets of wooden chopsticks a year: about 200 pairs per person. Some 97 per cent of them come from China.
Chinese chopstick exporters have responded to the tax increase and a rise in other costs by slapping a 30 per cent hike on chopstick prices, with a planned additional 20 per cent increase pending.
The price hike has sent Japanese restaurants scrambling to find alternative sources for chopsticks, called "waribashi" in Japanese.
"We're not in an emergency situation yet, but there has been some impact," said Ichiro Fukuoka, director of Japan Chopsticks Import Association.
A pair of waribashi that used to cost a little over one yen, or about one cent Cdn, now goes for 1.5 to 1.7 yen. The rising costs of raw wood and transportation because of higher oil prices have also contributed to the rise, industry officials said.
But pretty soon, some fear Japan won't even be able to get expensive chopsticks from China: Japanese newspapers Mainichi and Nihon Keizai reported that China is expected to stop waribashi exports to Japan as early as 2008.
To minimize the impact, Japanese importers now buy more bamboo chopsticks and are considering new suppliers, including Vietnam, Indonesia and Russia, said Fukuoka.
-- Associated Press
Find this article at: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/historic/31704639.html Staff Writer
Staff Writer
13/05/2006 3:35 AM
TOKYO -- Walk into any Japanese noodle shop or restaurant and chances are you'll be eating with a pair of disposable wooden chopsticks from China. But not for long.
In a move that has cheered environmentalists but worried restaurant owners, China has slapped a five per cent tax on the chopsticks over concerns of deforestation.
The move is hitting hard at the Japanese, who go through a tremendous 25 billion sets of wooden chopsticks a year: about 200 pairs per person. Some 97 per cent of them come from China.
Chinese chopstick exporters have responded to the tax increase and a rise in other costs by slapping a 30 per cent hike on chopstick prices, with a planned additional 20 per cent increase pending.
The price hike has sent Japanese restaurants scrambling to find alternative sources for chopsticks, called "waribashi" in Japanese.
"We're not in an emergency situation yet, but there has been some impact," said Ichiro Fukuoka, director of Japan Chopsticks Import Association.
A pair of waribashi that used to cost a little over one yen, or about one cent Cdn, now goes for 1.5 to 1.7 yen. The rising costs of raw wood and transportation because of higher oil prices have also contributed to the rise, industry officials said.
But pretty soon, some fear Japan won't even be able to get expensive chopsticks from China: Japanese newspapers Mainichi and Nihon Keizai reported that China is expected to stop waribashi exports to Japan as early as 2008.
To minimize the impact, Japanese importers now buy more bamboo chopsticks and are considering new suppliers, including Vietnam, Indonesia and Russia, said Fukuoka.
-- Associated Press
Find this article at: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/historic/31704639.html Staff Writer
Congratulations Abyssinian Flight Training School
I am really happy to hear that the first pilots trained by Abyssinian Flight Training school graduated recently. This is a big accomplishment for the company company as well as for the our country. A year ago I was reading one of our local papers and learned that a lot of students are coming as far as from India to the city I am living (Winnipeg, Canada) to take pilot training. I said I wish there was a school in Ethiopia and do the same business instead the students come here as far as from India and spend a lot of money. I am happy to hear that there are people in my country who can do it. Keep up the good job. Below is an article that shows the potential of this market.
A mouthful of sky overseas
NEW DELHI: Outsourcing is now taking a different route. Flight training is moving overseas in a big way as the aviation boom creates a huge shortage of commercial pilots in the country.
In fact, with a large number of young Indians aspiring to become commercial pilots and lack of institutions offering these courses in India, various colleges and institutes from US, Canada and Australia are eyeing the market.
The demand for commercial pilot courses in India is so large that foreign institutes are even lining up tailor-made content compliant with the directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA) norms.
In the last couple of months, various institutes have held roadshows in India and are gearing up their courses towards Indian students. Flying schools in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and US have designed modules in compliance with DGCA norms which include the mandatory flying hours and cross country day and night checks.
Besides, US has recently relaxed student visa norms for pilot training, which had become strict after 9/11.
“With the aviation boom in India, young people have started taking the career of flying seriously. The starting salary is Rs 90,000 to Rs 3.5 lakh a month. On the other hand, foreign pilots make up to 500 pounds a day,” says Akshay Mohan, general manager and chief flight instructor, Kemper Aviation in Florida, US.
Mohan, who finished the professional pilot programme from Kemper and is now part owner of the institution, hopes that with better training, Indian pilots too would get better salaries.
Like Kemper, UK Flight Training, based in California, is targetting Indian students with DGCA-compliant courses. Such programmes start at around $27000. Like the US, Australian and Canadian institutes, too, are hardselling courses in India.
“In the last year we’ve seen a large increase in interest from India with students looking for good quality education at reasonable prices. In December 2005, we did several seminars around India.
We now have online courses allowing students to prepare before they arrive and shortening their stay in Canada. Courses are customized to the students needs and the DGCA requirements,” says Adam Penner, son of the owner of a high-profile flying club Harv’s Air in Manitoba.
Total training cost in Canada works out to approximately $35,000 Canadian dollars and takes 6-9 months to complete. Traditionally, Ontario (Toronto, Guelph, and Hamilton) Vancouver (British Columbia) and Winnipeg (Manitoba) have been the hubs for quality flight training and now Indian students are flocking to these states.
“Students should be careful about choosing good institutes since there are fly-by-night operators who might charge hefty fees upfront and then not deliver. Usually the 6-month courses cost about Rs 12 lakh and the regular student visa route is advisable when going abroad for pilot training,” feels Maaheer Master, who trained at Harv’s last year and has now joined Jet Air.
Mohan also warns students against being duped into paying hefty fees before the courses start. “Some people have made a business out of conning people by charging hefty fees,” he says.
Winnipeg Aviation from Manitoba, too, sees big growth in the Indian market. “India will require anything between 2,500 and 4,000 pilots to fill cockpits over the next 6 years. However, the flight school structure in India is such that they cannot accommodate this drastic growth.
We see a huge growth potential training Indian students,” says Dan Reeves, marketing manager and flying instructor at Winnipeg Aviation which has tied up with Cubex India, a company promoted by NRI Hemant M Shah.
Basair Aviation College and RMIT International of Australia, too, are hardselling their commercial pilot training courses to Indian students. Basair in Sydney, in fact, positions itself as a specialised institute for training Indian pilots.
source: Economic Times, India
A mouthful of sky overseas
NEW DELHI: Outsourcing is now taking a different route. Flight training is moving overseas in a big way as the aviation boom creates a huge shortage of commercial pilots in the country.
In fact, with a large number of young Indians aspiring to become commercial pilots and lack of institutions offering these courses in India, various colleges and institutes from US, Canada and Australia are eyeing the market.
The demand for commercial pilot courses in India is so large that foreign institutes are even lining up tailor-made content compliant with the directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA) norms.
In the last couple of months, various institutes have held roadshows in India and are gearing up their courses towards Indian students. Flying schools in Canada, Australia, New Zealand and US have designed modules in compliance with DGCA norms which include the mandatory flying hours and cross country day and night checks.
Besides, US has recently relaxed student visa norms for pilot training, which had become strict after 9/11.
“With the aviation boom in India, young people have started taking the career of flying seriously. The starting salary is Rs 90,000 to Rs 3.5 lakh a month. On the other hand, foreign pilots make up to 500 pounds a day,” says Akshay Mohan, general manager and chief flight instructor, Kemper Aviation in Florida, US.
Mohan, who finished the professional pilot programme from Kemper and is now part owner of the institution, hopes that with better training, Indian pilots too would get better salaries.
Like Kemper, UK Flight Training, based in California, is targetting Indian students with DGCA-compliant courses. Such programmes start at around $27000. Like the US, Australian and Canadian institutes, too, are hardselling courses in India.
“In the last year we’ve seen a large increase in interest from India with students looking for good quality education at reasonable prices. In December 2005, we did several seminars around India.
We now have online courses allowing students to prepare before they arrive and shortening their stay in Canada. Courses are customized to the students needs and the DGCA requirements,” says Adam Penner, son of the owner of a high-profile flying club Harv’s Air in Manitoba.
Total training cost in Canada works out to approximately $35,000 Canadian dollars and takes 6-9 months to complete. Traditionally, Ontario (Toronto, Guelph, and Hamilton) Vancouver (British Columbia) and Winnipeg (Manitoba) have been the hubs for quality flight training and now Indian students are flocking to these states.
“Students should be careful about choosing good institutes since there are fly-by-night operators who might charge hefty fees upfront and then not deliver. Usually the 6-month courses cost about Rs 12 lakh and the regular student visa route is advisable when going abroad for pilot training,” feels Maaheer Master, who trained at Harv’s last year and has now joined Jet Air.
Mohan also warns students against being duped into paying hefty fees before the courses start. “Some people have made a business out of conning people by charging hefty fees,” he says.
Winnipeg Aviation from Manitoba, too, sees big growth in the Indian market. “India will require anything between 2,500 and 4,000 pilots to fill cockpits over the next 6 years. However, the flight school structure in India is such that they cannot accommodate this drastic growth.
We see a huge growth potential training Indian students,” says Dan Reeves, marketing manager and flying instructor at Winnipeg Aviation which has tied up with Cubex India, a company promoted by NRI Hemant M Shah.
Basair Aviation College and RMIT International of Australia, too, are hardselling their commercial pilot training courses to Indian students. Basair in Sydney, in fact, positions itself as a specialised institute for training Indian pilots.
source: Economic Times, India
Socks- The Chinese Story
As we can make 100% leather shoes can we make 100% Ethiopian cotton socks?
The Chinese story
Seventeen years ago, Datang county in Zhejiang province only had about 1,000 people living there. Most of them worked on the fields to earn a living. Datang's GDP per capita now exceeded 14 thousand US dollars a year, while the average figure in China is only 1,300 US dollars. The rapid growth came not from government or foreign investment, but a very ordinary daily necessity - socks. Wu Jia has the story: Among the 70 thousand residents in the county's 120 villages, over 10 thousand make a living from sock manufacturing. Thirty-two year old Fu Xianghua is one of them. Walking into her small workshop, the first thing you see are the 16 knitting machines that fill most of the room spinning 24 hours a day, stopping only for maintenance during the traditional Spring Festival.
The machines are almost her entire fortune, each costing her 160 thousand yuan, or 20 thousand US dollars. She said she can get her investment back in three to five years. As long as you have enough machines and hands, orders are countless, mainly from factories for exports. All her family members are involved in the industry. "My older brother and sister are selling socks out of town and my daughter has gone to help them. I'm quite interested in this industry and one day I will go out to have a look at how other people are doing in this business." If anything is wrong with her machine, all she needs to do is walk down to the next street and make a call to any of the 60-odd businessmen who sell second hand equipment and spare parts who will come to her workshop immediately. If she needs a batch of pins to tie down the socks together into dozens, she can go to a market in town where there are special stores that sell metallic pins for socks. There are 10 thousand pins in each batch selling for no more than 20 yuan, or 2.5 US dollars. "I'm from Shandong Province. I'm not here to do business, but just to have a look. Datang's socks are famous all around China. How can I miss visiting here? It's the biggest sock market in China." Though it seems that the market is not crowded at all, wholesale is the major source of income for businessmen here. For instance, flesh-colored stockings for women sell at 21 yuan, or 2.5 US dollars, for 100 pairs. The low price is attributed to a complete manufacturing chain in the town, from raw materials to packing to transportion, all of which can be accomplished within Datang. Manufacturers, suppliers and dealers work closely to form an entire network for the industry. The local government has realized how important the network is and supports its future development. Head of the town, Yang Guozhong, has this to say. " The government should serve the enterprises and meanwhile guide the industry to develop healthily. As a government official, my priority is to consider how to make Datang the best in the world and make our residents affluent."
Now that Datang makes 35% of the world's socks, Yang said the town's growth during the past 17 years has dramatically changed the living conditions of local residents. "The residents in our town are quite affluent. Every household has two computerized telephones. There are 20 cars for every 100 households. Some families now have five to six cars already." Socks not only make Datang people rich, but also inspire them to strive to improve their businesses. Hong Dongying has been dedicated to the sock-making industry for 23 years. She has witnessed changes from hand-powered knitting machines to domestically made machines and the imported machines used now. Socks have become a huge part of her life. "Every time I touch a new sock, I'll put my hand in it to find out how it was made, how good its quality is and what the interior material is. I think it's an instinct. I'll immediately compare it with socks from my factory." She now owns a company that makes over 100 million pairs every year and sell socks to Japan and Europe. Besides making profits, there's another responsibility for Hong and her company. "We have to help tens of thousands of small workshops under our factory who make subsidiary products for us. Since they don't have the capability of designing and innovating nor can they export, we have to design new patterns, make them out, contact international buyers and attend big expos for more and more orders. When we get the orders, we'll organize the households to produce. My factory only makes middle- and high-quality products." In fact, there are hundreds of towns in Zhejiang like Datang which make a single and common daily necessity, such as lighters, toys, socks and small appliances. Wenzhou makes 550 million lighters every year, accounting for 70% of the world's total production volume. There are over 10 thousand patterns and three new patterns produced every day. Many world-famous brands, including the Colibri and the Ronson from the US, have chosen Wenzhou as their manufacturing base. The city has also taken the place of Japan and South Korea to become the world's largest lighter manufacturing center.
The Chinese story
Seventeen years ago, Datang county in Zhejiang province only had about 1,000 people living there. Most of them worked on the fields to earn a living. Datang's GDP per capita now exceeded 14 thousand US dollars a year, while the average figure in China is only 1,300 US dollars. The rapid growth came not from government or foreign investment, but a very ordinary daily necessity - socks. Wu Jia has the story: Among the 70 thousand residents in the county's 120 villages, over 10 thousand make a living from sock manufacturing. Thirty-two year old Fu Xianghua is one of them. Walking into her small workshop, the first thing you see are the 16 knitting machines that fill most of the room spinning 24 hours a day, stopping only for maintenance during the traditional Spring Festival.
The machines are almost her entire fortune, each costing her 160 thousand yuan, or 20 thousand US dollars. She said she can get her investment back in three to five years. As long as you have enough machines and hands, orders are countless, mainly from factories for exports. All her family members are involved in the industry. "My older brother and sister are selling socks out of town and my daughter has gone to help them. I'm quite interested in this industry and one day I will go out to have a look at how other people are doing in this business." If anything is wrong with her machine, all she needs to do is walk down to the next street and make a call to any of the 60-odd businessmen who sell second hand equipment and spare parts who will come to her workshop immediately. If she needs a batch of pins to tie down the socks together into dozens, she can go to a market in town where there are special stores that sell metallic pins for socks. There are 10 thousand pins in each batch selling for no more than 20 yuan, or 2.5 US dollars. "I'm from Shandong Province. I'm not here to do business, but just to have a look. Datang's socks are famous all around China. How can I miss visiting here? It's the biggest sock market in China." Though it seems that the market is not crowded at all, wholesale is the major source of income for businessmen here. For instance, flesh-colored stockings for women sell at 21 yuan, or 2.5 US dollars, for 100 pairs. The low price is attributed to a complete manufacturing chain in the town, from raw materials to packing to transportion, all of which can be accomplished within Datang. Manufacturers, suppliers and dealers work closely to form an entire network for the industry. The local government has realized how important the network is and supports its future development. Head of the town, Yang Guozhong, has this to say. " The government should serve the enterprises and meanwhile guide the industry to develop healthily. As a government official, my priority is to consider how to make Datang the best in the world and make our residents affluent."
Now that Datang makes 35% of the world's socks, Yang said the town's growth during the past 17 years has dramatically changed the living conditions of local residents. "The residents in our town are quite affluent. Every household has two computerized telephones. There are 20 cars for every 100 households. Some families now have five to six cars already." Socks not only make Datang people rich, but also inspire them to strive to improve their businesses. Hong Dongying has been dedicated to the sock-making industry for 23 years. She has witnessed changes from hand-powered knitting machines to domestically made machines and the imported machines used now. Socks have become a huge part of her life. "Every time I touch a new sock, I'll put my hand in it to find out how it was made, how good its quality is and what the interior material is. I think it's an instinct. I'll immediately compare it with socks from my factory." She now owns a company that makes over 100 million pairs every year and sell socks to Japan and Europe. Besides making profits, there's another responsibility for Hong and her company. "We have to help tens of thousands of small workshops under our factory who make subsidiary products for us. Since they don't have the capability of designing and innovating nor can they export, we have to design new patterns, make them out, contact international buyers and attend big expos for more and more orders. When we get the orders, we'll organize the households to produce. My factory only makes middle- and high-quality products." In fact, there are hundreds of towns in Zhejiang like Datang which make a single and common daily necessity, such as lighters, toys, socks and small appliances. Wenzhou makes 550 million lighters every year, accounting for 70% of the world's total production volume. There are over 10 thousand patterns and three new patterns produced every day. Many world-famous brands, including the Colibri and the Ronson from the US, have chosen Wenzhou as their manufacturing base. The city has also taken the place of Japan and South Korea to become the world's largest lighter manufacturing center.
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