BD – Business Diary Philippines

hongkong

HONG KONG, CHINA - Media OutReach - 10 May 2019 - Co-organised by the Design Council of Hong Kong, Federation of Hong Kong Industries, the second edition of ?DesignXcel?just made its debut exhibition in the largest and longest running international trade fair in China, at Hall B, 125^thCanton Fair in Guangzhou.

The ?DesignXcel?mini exhibition was held at the 125^thCanton Fair between 1^stand 5^thMay 2019. The aim of the exhibition was to increase the exposure of the fruits of collaborations among the Greater Bay Area. The 5-day exhibition showcased 30 novel collaboration results and its success stories, spanning across different design related industries and academic disciplines including Graphics, Advertising & Visual Communication, Product & Industrial, Fashion & Image, Digital & Interactive, Architecture, Interior, Spatial & Environmental designs.

Launched in 2017,?DesignXcel?is the first and only programme that fosters sophisticated collaborations between industrial sectors and design freshmasonries. It sets out to act as the perpetual intermediate platform to spark meaningful commercial collaboration projects, bridging the gap between industrial sectors and generations to foster a culture of collaboration in the long run. Year by year, its goal is to establish an ongoing online & offline database for design graduates, industrial sectors and entrepreneurs.

With?DesignXcel?entering its second consecutive year, the project team has brought the?DesignXcel?programme to a bigger stage. Over the past December, it made a substantial presence at DesignInspire 2018 with over 600 sq meters of exhibition space, showcasing over 150 exhibits. DesignInspire is one of the largest design-related events in Hong Kong, with over 35,000 visitors witnessing the fruits of collaboration between design freshmasonries, industrialists and the education sector.

The Federation of Hong Kong Industries (FHKI) was established under Ordinance, Cap 321 of the laws of Hong Kong, in 1960. The objectives of the FHKI are to promote and foster the interests of Hong Kong's industrial and business communities; to promote trade, investment, technological advancement, manpower development, and business opportunities in Hong Kong; and to represent business views and advise the government on policies and legislation which affect business.

Comprised of prominent leaders from various industries and academics, as well as professional designers, the Design Council of Hong Kong was established by the Federation of Hong Kong Industries in 1968. It is the oldest local non-profit organisation fostering the interest of the local design industry. The objectives of the Council include promoting and enhancing the importance of design in Hong Kong economic development, encouraging and facilitating the business community to add value to their products and services through the use of design, and enhancing Hong Kong's design standards and quality through collaboration with professional and educational institutions.

joey yap

SINGAPORE - Media OutReach - May 10, 2019 - There are many different reasons to why people travel -- relaxation, escape, or even for food. Everyone has their own compelling reasons, and on 26 April 2019, 200 people from all over the world chose to gather in Taiwan to embark on a unique journey like no other. The 4-day journey is quite possibly the greatest and most important adventure of their lives -- a special spiritual journey to find oneself and to renew their purpose.

The featured itinerary was specially and meticulously designed, unlike any conventional tour or vacation. Led by world-renowned Feng Shui and Chinese Metaphysics authority Joey Yap, the group had special access to some of Taiwan's best kept secrets, to very significant shrines, temples and meridian spots (also known as Qi spots) that are off the beaten track. While the journey took 200 individuals coming from countries like the USA, Canada, Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia to the same locations, it delivered an out-of-this-world experience that was unique to each participant.The incredible stories and the unbreakable bonds created between the participants on this journey were in itself an ethereal transformational experience. Every individual embarked on this journey with a different goal. For some, it was a chance to reconnect with themselves. For others, it was about finding self-acceptance, enlightenment and inspiration. Last but not least, there were those who had very specific goals such as looking for a cure, finding a partner or even seeking the strength, courage and wisdom to fulfil their dreams.It is no easy task to describe to the laymen how it feels to be present at these meridian spots. A meridian spot is an actual spot where Qi is most concentrated and pure. Imagine miles and miles of moving energy which stop and settle in one spot. These meridian spots are invisible to the untrained eye. However, even the sceptics amongst us would agree that is it the invisible forces has the most influence on us, human beings. Our emotions, feelings including anger or love, shape who we are and how we behave. Our thoughts, how they work or how they are formed affect our lives in more ways that we would like to admit. These forces are a form of energy, and the study of Feng Shui & Chinese Metaphysics is about how to tap into this form of energy which is known as Qi.To understand this wondrous journey, the real question is: if you had a conversation with the universe what would it be about? Here are some of the stories shared by the participants."At some junction, the awakening really happened and it really sinks into our hearts what we really need to work on," said an emotional June Lee from Malaysia as she confessed how attending the excursion has brought to light certain important personal relationships that she never knew required her attention and efforts to rebuild."It (the trip) gives the ability to reach a level that I didn't expect. The transformation is in you, and when you transform, you come to that place of knowing and being..." Patricia Lee from United States talks about how powerful the trip was.Another participant Yeo Ai Lee from Malaysia felt extremely blessed to be onboard this excursion. "This is the first time I felt my whole body trembling and full of Qi. Tears were falling down, and I was relieving all my past anguish and anxiety. People should come on this trip. It's where you can attain happiness and peace, and to really feel yourself. To be able to know what you want and what you would like to achieve," she was feeling thankful as she expressed her gratitude over Joey Yap teachings.All in all, the entire journey is conducted like a 4-days celebration. You will get to hike majestic mountains, crawl into tiny caves and visit picturesque locations in the name of training your intuition and unlocking your inner gifts. Every meal is carefully planned out to showcase the local delicacies and cater to all tastes. Correspondingly, you will also meet incredibly giving people in a community that was engineered by the organizers to support, inspire and supercharge your personal growth as well as create breakthroughs in your life.Since 2004, the excursion is a once-a-year event hosted by Joey Yap and team visiting countries such as Taiwan, China and Tibet. The response for the recently concluded April trip was overwhelming as it could only accommodate 200 people, and a second trip in October 2019 has just been sold out. In consideration of a long waiting list, the 2020 Excursion is now open for registration. To learn more about the excursion, please visit: www.joeyyap.com/excursion.

About Joey Yap

A luminary in his own right, Joey Yap's expertise in the study of Chinese Metaphysics is well sought after. He has been featured in international media outlets such as BBC, CNBC, TIME, Forbes, CNN and Bloomberg. He was listed in the Malaysian Tatler's Top 300 Most Influential People in Malaysia; and Prestige's Top 40 Under 40. He is also a best-selling author of 179 books with more than 4.2 million copies sold worldwide. Earlier this year, some 20,000 participants attended his Live Seminar to hear his expert insights on Chinese Metaphysics. For more information, check out Joey Yap's website here: www.joeyyap.com.

Here are some no bake Yema cake recipes that you can do at home easily.

Yema is used as a glaze in this mouth-watering yema cake recipe. This is a good money making business idea to start especially for moms at home who are fond of baking. You can sell it to your friends, neighbors or start your own small home cake shop business.

No Bake Yema Cake by Kusina Chef

Cake ingredients:2 cups all purpose flour 2 cups sugar 1 cup milk(evap) 1/2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp baking soda 2 tbsp powdered orange juice 1/2 cup cooking oil (vegetable oil, canola oil, or corn oil) or 1/2 cup melted butter 2 cups water 3/4 tbsp vanilla extractYema Frosting Ingredients:1 can condensed milk 1 can evaporated milk 4 egg yolks 1 tbsp vanilla extract 1 tbsp cornstarch (optional) grated cheese for toppingsProcedure:1) Fill the steamer with 1 liter of water and let it boil.2) Dusting: lightly grease with butter or oil the cake pans and dust with flour. Set aside.3) Mix dry ingredients except powdered orange juice and sugar. Set aside4) Mix water and powdered juice. Set aside.5) In a separate bowl combine wet ingredients and sugar.6) Mix until sugar dissolves.7) Add half of the dry ingredients and mix on low speed.8) Add the rest of the dry ingredients and mix well.9) Pour cake batter into the cake pans.10) Steam for 25 -30 minutes over low heat. Do not forget to wrap the lid with cotton cloth or cheese cloth to avoid water from dripping into the cake.11) When the cake is done turn the heat off but do not take the cake out yet. Let it set for 10 minutes inside the steamer with the lid on. In this way the cake will not shink.12) Cool cake in the pan for 5 minutes.13) Unmold the cake and cool completely then it is ready for frosting.14) Frost the cake and top with grated cheese.No Bake Yema Frosting Procedure:1) In a pan just mix all the ingredients.2) Mix well and cook until it gets thick over a low heat.3) Stir constantly to avoid lumps.4) When the mixture is already thick turn the heat off and let it cool. Set aside.

NO BAKE YEMA CAKE by Cookph

Cake Batter Ingredients2 cups all purpose flour 1 1/2 cups sugar 1 cup evaporated milk 1/2 tbsp baking powder 1 tsp baking soda 1 1/2 cups orange juice 1/2 cup cooking oil (canola or vegetable oil) 2 tsp vanilla extract 1/2 cup waterYema Frosting Ingredients1 cup evaporated milk 1 cup condensed milk 4 egg yolks 1 tbsp vanilla extract 1 tbsp cornstarch cheddar cheese (for topping)Procedures1. In a deep bowl, combine all purpose flour, baking powder and baking soda. Mix well. Then set aside.2. In a separate bowl, combine wet ingredients starting with orange juice, evaporated milk, vanilla extract, cooking oil and water. Mix well.3. Add sugar, mix well until sugar dissolves.4. Add half of the flour mixture and mix until well combined. Then add the remaining flour mixture. Mix well and set aside.5. Lightly grease mold or springform pan with butter or oil and dust with flour.6. Pour cake batter into the pan.7. Cover the pan with aluminum foil to avoid water from dripping into the cake.8. Place into the steamer and steam for about 30 to 40 minutes.9. While the cake is cooking let's make the yema frosting. In a saucepan combine evaporated milk, condensed milk, egg yolks and vanilla extract. Mix well and cook on low medium heat.10. Add cornstarch. Mix well. Stir constantly to avoid lumps.11. When the yema mixture is already thick turn the heat off and let it cool.12. When the cake is done, remove the cake from the steamer and let it cool.13. Unmold the cake and cool completely before frosting.14. Pour yema mixture on top of the cake and spread evenly until it covered the whole cake.15. Cover with grated cheese on top and on the side.16. Chill for at least two hours before serving.Serve and Enjoy!

State-run ZNAC Rubber Estate Corp (ZREC) is fertilizing a 500-hectare rubber plantation in Zamboanga which may raise productivity by 40 to 60 percent and perhaps boost revenue that stood at 12.88 million in 2012.

For the first time in 15 years, ZREC is restoring fertilization in its sole rubber plantation in Tampilisan, Zamboanga as government aims to maximize revenue generation.The government has a 70:30 revenue sharing commitment in the rubber farm. The 30 percent goes to Tampilisan farmers as an assured source of livelihood.“We started fertilization this year. That is the way to properly increase harvest and income for the government and for our farmer-partners,” said ZREC President Allan Q. Umali.Umali, also Department of Agriculture (DA) assistant secretary for administration, said the government has sustained net earnings from ZREC even if the company stopped receiving PDAF since 2011.This is amid current inquiry by the Commission on Audit (COA) into ZREC’s alleged turnover of PDAF fund to an allegedly non-existent non-government organization. PDAF stands for Priority Development Assistance Fund, more commonly referred to as “pork barrel.”“ZREC is self-sustaining. Its revenue even increased to P21 million in 2011 even if we withdrew from receiving PDAF since the new government took over,” said Umali. “We’re complying with the recommendations of COA regarding its audit report.”Umali said the alleged turnover of ZREC’s PDAF fund to an NGO named Pangkabuhayan Foundation Inc. occurred prior to his holding office at ZREC. The PDAF fund held by PFI, reported to be totaling P199.6 million, was identified to have come from the 2009-2010 PDAF of three senators led by Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile.Aldrin P. Mejares, ZREC plantation manager, said fertilization should help reverse any ongoing weakness in the price of rubber in the market.Average selling price of rubber by ZREC declined from P78 per kilo in 2011 to P49 per kilo from 2011 to 2012, according to Marianne Ebio, ZREC finance officer. This primarily caused a decline in the net income of ZREC from P21.332 million to P12.875 million in the period.ZREC is further instituting reforms in operations in order to raise the quality of the rubber in Tampilisan. This should raise the company’s own rubber selling price.“The poor quality of rubber at Tampilisan makes selling price lower. Wrong practices have rendered the products unclean, so prices dropped,” said Mejares. “Asec Umali wanted us to be business-focused, so we’re working on improving production and rubber quality.”Selling price in Tampilisan decreased even if production of coagulated rubber increased to 184,089 kilos in 2012 from 131,287 kilos in 2011.ZREC’s buyers of coagulated rubber are Standeco (Standard Rubber Corp), DCL Rubber, and NJ Rubber.Among the reforms in cleaning up rubber operations is the use of formic acid, a cleaning and antibacterial agent in rubber.“In Cotabato, they produce a cleaner rubber which commands a higher price from buyers. People in Tampilisan have been using battery solution (in coagulated rubber preparations). The use of formic acid makes the product cleaner,” said Mejares.The use battery solution makes the raw rubber product retain water, bringing down selling price, according to Mejares. Poor quality raw rubber makes finished products like tires become easily defective. Tires may become brittle, causing tires to explode easily.ZREC is eventually implementing a system that will use ethril on rubber trees. Ethril is an antibiotic that has an effect of raising rubber latex production from trees. It is appropriately applied when the trees are up for slaughter. The ZREC trees are at the tailend of their productive life as these are now around 30 to 35 years old.The fertilization program in Tampilisan is not expected to immediately raise production. It may have a minimal positive impact in 2013, perhaps a 10 percent increase in income.But government hopes to reap the fertilization benefits for the rest of use of the rubber land in the next five to15 years.“We want to replant rubber. But the only option we have now is to fertilize to maximize yield. The land owner disapproved our request for extension in the usufruct (land lease),” said Umali.With fertilization, a higher yield may be achieved perhaps by 2014.“Maximum yield is 20,000 kilos,” said Mejares.Coagulated rubber, a raw form of rubber, is stocked up by buyers for several months. It is required to be stored in clean condition in order to retain good quality before milling.So far, only five percent of the ZREC’s rubber plantation has been fertilized. But a fertilization rate of 100 percent on the entire area covering 61,661 trees (of which 50,000 trees are productive) can raise yield to the maximum 20,000 kilos per month.Another reform is the transfer of rubber preparations on tiled areas.“Some of the workers used to work on the rubber right on the soil which made the product dirty,” said Mejares.ZREC just ended an agreement with a contractor that exhausted the capacity of rubber trees to produce latex at a certain time period. The contractor practiced in 2012 an indiscriminate tapping of rubber latex from the trees just to maximize yield even if this practice makes yield unsustainable.ZREC stopped receiving PDAF since 2011 as the governing board believes in the financial independence of the company that enjoys satisfactory earnings from coagulated rubber .Its last PDAF receipt was P1.65 million in 2010. Yet the company’s net income was at P2.637 million in 2011. This dropped to P883,255 million in 2012 due largely to softer rubber price.Coagulated rubber production in Tampilisan may fluctuate at between 8,000 to 15,000 kilos per month.ZREC has a current 50-year lease agreement over a total of 1,000 hectares with the former Zamboanga National Agricultural College-Western Mindanao State University (presently Jose Rizal Memorial State University.)Half of the area, 499 hectares, is being turned over to holders of CLOA (certificate of land ownership and authority).The Philippines continues to face bright prospects in rubber.Despite price volatilities, the outlook for natural rubber has remained positive due with new investments in tire manufacturing worth $10 billion by Hankook, Bridgestone, Continental, Michelin, Pirelli, and Goodyear, among others in 2011 alone, according to Dr. Kamarul Baharain Basir in Rubber Asia.As of 2011, global natural rubber production was at 10.342 million MT. The world demand for natural rubber was previously estimated to reach to 12.4 million metric tons (MT) by 2020.“The price of rubber is expected to increase because of tight supply in the world market,” said Mejares.China is foreseen to have a continuing demand for rubber as rising consumer income is propping up spending for more expensive goods such as automotives that extensively use tires.There is currently an estimated 150,000 hectares of rubber land in the country.Rubber is also eyed as an erosion control, reforestation, and environmental preservation crop as it is biodegradable and is not petroleum-based, unlike synthetic rubbers.Aside from income from sales of coagulated rubber, ZREC’s other income comes from interest income and miscellaneous income.###For any questions, please call Mr. Aldrin Mejares, 0926-139-7616; for interview requests, 0906-239-2362.

Meat color is an important visual quality factor when consumers purchase chicken. However, high use of antibiotics during broiler raising to achieve desirable color and freshness may have residual effects on human health. To prevent irrational use of antibiotics, a supplementary application of yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) with antibiotics was suggested. In this study, yeast powder mixed with antibiotics was found effective as probiotics in increasing broiler weight, improving feed efficiency, and preventing growth of pathogen microorganisms. The Saccharomyces genus, a yeast for brewing, is usually enriched with molasses, which when incorporated into feeds affect meat color.

EffectivenessThe daily weight gain of broiler increased from 34.5 (control) to 38.6, 44.1, and 44.3 g/day when formula feed containing S. cerevisiae (1.5×1010 cfu/kg) was provided at 0.1, 0.3, and 0.5%, respectively. Likewise, the color value (yellowness) of chicken meat increased by 1.4-fold from 5.2 (control) to 7.1 and 7.3, when 0.1% and 0.3% yeast were mixed with the feed formula, respectively. The daily weight gain was higher after 2 weeks of feeding (41.6 g) than after only 1 week (37.6 g), when the feeding durations were compared. The feed efficiency was highest (180%) in 0.3% yeast level in feed. Hence, it was recommended to supplement yeast at 0.3% to feed formulations for 2 weeks before chickens are slaughtered, to improve color, daily weight gain, and economic value.BenefitsYeast supplementation in feeds is useful to prevent misuse/overuse of antibiotics and to increase the coloring value (especially yellowness) and thus meet consumer requirement. The practice is shown to produce high quality chicken that has a competitive advantage over imported chickens through quality differentiation.National Livestock Research Institute Rural Development Administration, Korea Tel: (82 31) 290-1500 Fax: (82 31) 290-1697 E-mail: hs6226@rda.go.kr, 2004-09-01Source: agnet.org

A Food and Drug Administration (FDA) certification is expected to stir up the market for wine, tea, and juice using Roselle, a highly nutritious plant of the gumamela family sought after by consumers in the US and Europe.Cocobless, the company that manufactures the products, is obtaining an LTO (license to operate) from FDA in order to market Roselle products and reach out to consumers who are increasingly becoming more health conscious.“We’re expecting a FDA LTO (license to operate) in two to three months. By then we’ll be able to distribute our products to major supermarkets,” said Meland G. Dilodilo of Cocobless. The Roselle products are being promoted by Verve Health Solutions (VHS).VHS’s Roselle products wine, tea, and juice have recently been exhibited at the Bureau of Agricultural Research’s (BAR)’s Techno Forum.These products are made mainly from the leaves and calyces of the Roselle plant. It will also be available in the future as chips which can be used as an ingredient in salads and pastries, and even in capsule form.“We’re really developing products that are indigenously grown and that have high nutrition value craved for in the market,” said BAR Director Nicomedes P. Eleazar.The company also needs the FDA LTO in order to distribute Roselle products to institutional or corporate buyers and to major export markets.“You can’t go to the export market until you have capacity in tonnages. As of the moment, we go for the local market, and once we have built up our capacity to produce and manufacture, we will be targeting the global market” said Dr. Naomi Joy Dilodilo, Meland’s sister and Cocobless co-founder.While still on a small scale production, Cocobless aims to grow its operations by putting up facilities for spray drying , vacuum drying, and freeze drying, which needs approximately P3 million to P10 million to set up. It currently utilizes a technology comparable to these processes involving simple machines.One of the current projects of Cocobless is the analysis of its Roselle products for nutritional information and expiry date. This is a requirement for food distribution. It also has plans to collaborate with Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI) and SGS on packaging and labeling. Market Roselle (Rosella sabdariffa or wild hibiscus) has a growing global market because of its known medical value.Malaysia supplies much of the Roselle raw materials in the world. Australia is also a producer of finished goods like the Roselle tea. These products are exported to the US and Europe, with Germany as a major buyer.Cocobless Roselle products, particularly the RosellaWild Hibiscus Tea, will be marketed to health and wellness clinics and hospitals. One of these will be the “Wellness and Rejuvenation Clinic” at Cityland Shar Towers in Pasig which Meland and Naomi currently supply with their healthful low glycemic coconut sugar.Roselle products are also planned to be available in health stores, gifts and souvenir shops and as corporate giveaways.Other markets for Roselle are sports and nutrition centers like Fitness First, dermatology clinics, coffee and tea shops. Cocobless also plans to export worlwide in the future. Roselle calyces Health Benefits Don Mariano Marcos State University (DMMSU) researchers found out that Roselle, with its rich protein content, can help cure kwashiorkor, a form of malnutrition among children caused by a lack of protein and energy.Nearly all parts of the Roselle plant—seeds, leaves, and calyx-- are known to be rich in vitamins, particularly Vitamin C, which helps strengthen the immune system.A study of 3,100 foods, beverages, spices, herbs, and supplements showed that it had one of the highest antioxidant (flavonoids including anthocyanins) levels.Roselle, which was historically used by Egyptian pharaohs for its nutritional and health value, has been widely studied for its effect on hypertension. Some studies have demonstrated that Roselle, taken in certain doses, is equivalent to the effects of the anti-hypertensive drug captopril.Other benefits include its effects on cholesterol levels, blood sugar, and weight control, making it also suitable for diabetics. Founder VHS is a company formed by doctors led by Naomi.Naomi’s profession has inspired her to advocate herbal products beneficial to people’s health. She finished BS Biology at the University of the Philippines, Doctor of Medicine at the Manila Central University, and specialty training at the UP Institute of Opthalmology.[caption id="attachment_6083" align="alignnone" width="600"]

Dr. Naomi Dilodilo with the Roselle flower[/caption]She is one of the featured entrepreneurs in the BAR-funded book “111 Successful Agri-Enterpreneurs.”Incidentally, she started venturing into health products only by accident.One day, she witnessed how a calamansi farmer pleaded for the sale of his goods for only P50 for one sack containing 25 kilos. That is how desperate life must be for Filipino farmers. They have to get their fresh goods sold right now, or they will perish in a few hours.How could she help solve this problem?She started venturing into transforming fresh goods into finished products by learning different fruits and vegetable processing and preservation techniques offered by the Bureau of Plant Industry. She is also into research and product development of different agricultural products that is abundantly available in the country. Free, Spray Drying Cocobless uses processes that preserve the nutrient content of Roselle in its finished products. Freeze drying is an example of this process.It involves dehydration of a raw material by freezing to a temperature of -20 degrees centigrade, making them suitable for storage and transport.“The way to retain the antioxidants is to process the Roselle plant without it having to lose its color since a change in color will usually signify a change in the nutritional content,” said Naomi.Spray drying is another method to preserve nutritional content, involving the use of heat to a temperature of 58 degrees centigrade (compared to boiling’s 100 degrees). The first step is to puree the raw material and the dry it to form a solid. Food coloring, other uses Roselle is found in many countries in Africa, South America, the Middle East, and Asia. Interestingly, Roselle is indigenous to the Philippines.It is a good food coloring agent with its very bright dark red color. Because it is of natural color, it is an excellent substitute to FC Red, a chemical compound for food coloring.Roselle is also prepared in the form of flowers in syrup in countries like France and Australia. It is used as rice and fish flavoring in Senegal, while its green leaves are the main ingredient in Burma’schin baungkyaw curry. The Roselle tea in Sudan is used to relieve coughs. A recipe in Andhra in India prepares Roselle by frying it with other leaves and made into Gongura Pacchadi, a famous Andhra food.The leaves are used to cure sores and wounds. Other uses are as diuretic and for dyspepsia relief. Trial planting Roselle is under trial planting at the Kalingap Marikina Watershed Farm, with an allotted seven hectare area.“We will expand planting after the trial, “ according to farm leader Dave Santos. The farm is located in BosoBoso, Sitio San Jose, Brgy. San Jose, Antipolo City. Our goal is to save Marikina Watershed. We want farming to be a part of people’s livelihood so that they won’t cut trees just to use these for charcoal,” said Santos.This activity is part of caring for the watershed at the Marikina Watershed Association.The Bureau of Plant Industry is providing the seeds of three Roselle varieties, namely Amparo, a Thailand variety, and an indigenous variety.Cocobless is partnering with farms that are identifying what specific varieties are appropriate for specific locations.Other potential farms are ones maintained indigenous people such as the Dumagats in Botolan. Another is located in Montalban, Rizal tended by the San Rafael Parish. A 20 hectare farm is located in Gabaldon, Nueva Ecija and another one is located in Botolan, Zambales. Soil erosion controlThe Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has completed a project that used Roselle as a tool to control soil erosion.It was used in an Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau (ERDB) Upland Farm project as an intercrop with agroforestry crops from July 2002 to December 2005. The sites were Atimonan, Quezon and Los Banos, Laguna. The study observed its use for soil water conservation.Roselle was chosen for its environmental and health benefits such as site stabilization, productivity enhancement of the area, use as food ingredient, and as material for nutriceutical products.The ERDB project involved technology generation from seed germination, nursery establishment, survival, flowering and fruiting of Roselle. In addition, food processing techniques were also studied.In a DENR project, there is a potential 3.5 hectare area for planting. Malaysia Dr. Naomi has been involved in a project in Malaysia involving a food company that uses Roselle for chutney, drinks, concentrate, and chili sauce. She is currently based in Malaysia as a member of the academe—a medical lecturer at the the Allianze University College of Medical sciences in Penang, Malaysia.“Malaysia is very much into research and innovations,” she said. “Malaysia gave me the opportunity to have a peek into the world of innovation, especially when it comes to agricultural development.”Now on her third year since 2010, her exposure to R&D (research and development) in Malaysia is helping her upgrade their company’s products locally.Having come from the same Malay race, Malaysians do not find Dr. Naomi so different, and they trust her with their knowledge on R&D. She proved herself as an outstanding staff and emerged as the only non-Muslim awardee of “Gold for Innovation Platform”, an award given by the University of Technology Mara of Malaysia. “Most of the Roselle that is marketed worldwide comes from Malaysia,” she said. Business development The company is strengthening its marketing efforts, since the weakness of most R&D (research and development) operations is on the business aspect.“I realized that sustainability is a key concern in R&D. So, business development is a must for an agricultural enterprise. You have to create a demand for a raw material in order for it to be sold in the market,” she said.This demand should be created both for the raw material and for the value added products that use this material. This way, the problem of perishability for farmers is solved. Cocobless The Dilodilo brother-sister team up is not totally new to marketing innovative products.They have earlier developed nutritious noodles that are now sold in SM Hypermart supermarkets. Their variants are moringa, sugarbeet, squash, and carrots and ube.Their business started with coconut products, particularly coconut crystal oil and home remedy kits. They also produced coco pandesal and specialized baked products that made use of healthful, low GI (glycemic index) coconut sap sugar instead of sugarcane-based sweeteners.Other products are coconut flour, fresh yogurts with active probiotics, coco noodles, coco juices, and seaweeds.The business gives livelihood to farmers. Virgin coconut oil and coconut sugar comes from farmers in Aklan and farmer-cooperatives in Marinduque.The Dilodilos’ Cocobless manufacturing facility is located in Valenzuela City. Like its Roselle business, it’s still in the early stage of development.Cocobless itself produces coconut sugar which is used in Roselle Calyx tea and Roselle leaves tea. About Verve Health Solutions Founded by a group of medical professionals who believe that nutrition should play a greater role in the maintenance of health, Verve Health Solutions aims to spread this message to the world. Harnessing the best nature has to offer, Verve Health Solutions provides an alternative for healthy, vibrant, and meaningful life. ###For any questions, please call Mr. Meland Dilodilo, 0917-847-8405; for interview requests, 0921-338-3816By: Bureau Agritechinc

business online1

9 Content Strategies You Need For Your BusinessDigital marketing is a conglomerate of features where each element plays a critical role one way or another. However, most marketers believe that content is the most important component of digital marketing because it keeps the audience engaged and loyal to the specific brand. business online1

According to the report, over 70% of marketers claim that content creation increases the number of leads as well as engagement. Another study reveals that content marketing costs 62% less than traditional marketing and generates about three times as many leads.After seeing these stats, the only logical question is: How can I improve my content marketing plan? We are here to help you out with this, so keep reading to learn nine content strategies that can give your business a brand new boost.

1. Set Your Goals

The first step in content strategizing is to set your business goals. What is it that you want to achieve using content marketing? There are all sorts of options out there, from generating leads and conversions to raising awareness and increasing customer loyalty.When you know what you want, it is easier to determine measurable key performance indicators (KPIs). These parameters serve as quantifiable indicators that you can use to measure the results of your campaign and compare them with the planned outcomes.

2. Know Your Audience

Once you’re clear about the objectives of your content strategy, you need to analyze the target audience in order to determine what they do or do not prefer. You don’t need more than basic website intelligence to discover the main features of your typical customers:

Age and gender: 18-year old girls don’t want content designed for the 50-something male population.
Location: It’s important to locate the audience because cultural peculiarities may influence your strategy.
Education: The lower the education level, the simpler the content.
Average income: Are you creating posts for well-off individuals or people with lower purchasing power?
Lifestyle: Try to understand the values and lifestyle of your average follower because it will give you directions to the corresponding content.

3. Find the Right Channels

The way your audience behaves will also influence the channels you use to communicate with followers. Jason Mahoney, an AustralianWritings and easy essay writer in charge of marketing topics, explains how to channel selection works: “There is no reason to waste time or energy creating LinkedIn content if your target group consists mainly of teenagers who use Instagram and Facebook. Keep that in mind before creating any extra accounts on social media or launching email campaigns.”

4. Determine the Best Content Types

Content types are yet another thing you need to consider before you actually begin creating new posts. This is fundamental because your content has to be versatile and fit the taste of the target group. For instance, Instagram users definitely demand high-quality images and videos, while fans who follow you on Twitter expect witty and clever textual content. You need to be aware of it and create the right type of mix to satisfy the expectations of every follower.

5. Create High-Quality Content

Now that you’ve got all that covered, it is time to start creating high-quality content. It’s a critical step because more than 70% of consumers say they are turned off by content that seems like a sales pitch.You can’t find a “one size fits all” plan that fulfills the requirements in all industries, but most marketers try to create posts that are entertaining and highly analytical. The audience loves guides and step-by-step tutorials, but you should feel free to play with different solutions and find the perfect system for your brand.

6. Develop a Unique Style

If you want to make a brand that really stands out from the bunch of competitors, you need to develop a unique style of content writing. How you do it depends on the nature of your business. If you are running a serious company, you should probably use a lot of data and statistics to support your claims. On the other hand, marketers who target younger audiences usually rely on humor and avoid boring business jargon.

7. Make a Content Calendar

There is nothing random about content marketing. Every action, blog, or social posts is carefully planned well in advance. That’s why you need to make a content calendar and ensure smooth functioning of your strategy. A simple tool such as Google Calendar can help you to keep the highest level of consistency by setting event reminders and notifications related to new posts, holiday activities, and so on.

8. Use Digital Tools

Speaking of online tools, keep in mind that a wide range of digital platforms can help you to manage your content creation strategy. It’s impossible to mention every tool in one post, but some of the popular options include:

Google Keyword Planner: Find the best keywords for your posts
assignment writing help: This is one of the finest custom essay writing services that can assist you with all types of content.
Headline Analyzer: If you want a perfect headline for your articles, try this platform.
Hemingway App: Use it to proofread and edit posts.
Canva: It’s a great tool for visual content creation.

9. Measure the Results

The last tip on our list is to measure the results of your content activities. Keep an eye on it all the time and compare achievements with the targeted goals and KPIs. That way, you can understand what works well for your brand and what needs to be eliminated.

Conclusion

Content marketing is what separates productive businesses from their less successful competitors. Content does it all, generates leads, nurtures customer relationships, and drives conversions, which is why you need to design a quality plan.In this post, we showed you nine content strategies that could give your business a brand new boost. Make sure to use our suggestions and feel free to leave a comment if you have other interesting ideas to share with our readers – we would love to hear your opinion, too! AUTHOR BIO

Kurt Walker is a digital marketer at besttermpaper and NinjaEssays and one of their most prolific research paper writer s. He is a passionate marketer who loves writing about a wide range of topics – from SEO and paid to advertise to social media and email marketing. When he is not working, Scott is probably jogging or playing football with his friends.

grammar checker

Write better with the help of a Grammar CheckerAny writing usually is checked by seeing its grammar or people typically look at the skills of writing judging through the implementation of grammar in the content. Perfect grammar is what makes an article more attractive, and you get more appreciated. So, to present your data in the best possible manner and to check if there is no grammatical error in your work there are several ways which you can adopt, but the most useful method is the use of grammar checker. You can get your hands on the best free tool at https://www.grammarchecker.info/.

Moving back to the methods which help you amend your mistakes and which most of the people use to express their words in a much better way, one of these techniques is proofreading. Proofreading refers to rereading your written content several times to point out your mistakes as well as correct them. To be honest, if you are a busy person just like me, then you surely will not have enough time to waste on reading your every single article twice or thrice then correct your errors.Moreover, most of the people check their grammatical mistakes by MS Word. It can be used, but this software guides you or underlines the errors that are basic. For example, if you have used their instead of there, then the software will not be pointing as the spelling is correct even though your grammar is not. Grammatical corrector is the tool which vanquishes the cons of both methods and helps you to achieve the top-class result.

How can a Grammar Checker help you?

The owners of websites have to post various articles on their web pages on a daily basis. If the content they enter will not be comprising of perfect grammar, then it can have a wrong impression on the users that visit your website. It might disappoint them and especially if you are running a site of a brand then definitely the sales of your firm may also fall as the wrong usage of grammar can mislead the people too which may affect negatively. So, to not go through such situations and impress the users, you can first check the content you are about to post from free grammar check.Students suffer a lot from the wrong use of syntax in their work. Due to punctuation mistakes, most of the times from silly mistakes the grade of the students falls. Instead of appreciation in the class, your teacher may ask you to improve your grammatical skills or the misuse of semantics can also make a bad image in front of your teacher’s eyes. So, if you are a student and lacking in writing skills, then this grammar checker can save your life and can improve your career without taking much of your time.

Way to use Grammar Checker

Grammar check is an application which you can use after opening it on the browser of your device. It is free for everyone and does not need any specific knowledge through which you can operate. Online grammar check enables everyone to see and correct the usage of morphology by just one click, and it provides you with the best results.Running grammar corrector is one of the simplest things. Once you see the grammar checker opened, you only have to insert the data you want to check rules of language for. By pressing 'Check Grammar', in a few seconds results highlighting your errors will be shown. You can click on your mistake and correct them with the given choices.If you do not have time to learn or check grammar, then grammar checker online is the tool that can aid you and help you to build up your reputation. You will not have to waste either money nor time by utilizing the tool. The authenticity of results makes the grammar checker more attractive and by the tool helps you to make sure that in the content you are about to submit is not consisting of any error and you will not have to face any negative consequences especially due to wrong use of grammar.The process to use the tool is undemanding too, and once you use it, you will not be regretting your effort. I use it before I use my work anywhere offline or online. It is highly recommended to you if you want perfect results that too without paying, yes, free grammar checker will do an excellent job.

The government has been consistent in its promotion of the organic agriculture to address food security, sustain human health, and protect environment. However, most farmers still prefer conventional farming due to a widely-held public perception that shifting to organic farming will decrease their production. With years of practicing conventional farming, farmers have come to associate high crop production with the heavy use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. cparifugao

One farmer that is going against the tide is Nicolas Dulawan, 59, a vegetable farmer from Asipulo, Ifugao and a farmer-cooperator of the “Community-based Participatory Action Research (CPAR) on Organic Vegetable Production”. The project is being implemented by the Provincial Agriculture Environment and Natural Resource Office (PAENRO) of Lagawe, Ifugao and funded by the Bureau of Agricultural Research (BAR).CPAR on organic vegetableAsipulo is conducive for vegetable production. The locals live mostly from growing different kinds of vegetables which serve both as their source of food and livelihood. Common vegetables grown are snap beans, wing beans, pechay, string beans, squash, cabbage, tomato, and eggplant.Given the high cost of inputs and limited know-how on vegetable production, it often results to low profit margin and subsistence level of production. Most farmers in the area are engaged in conventional farming. After years of dependency on chemical fertilizers and pesticides, the fertile soil has slowly depleted making it acidic and unsuited for planting.The PAENRO, led by the group of Dr. Catherine V. Buenaventura, supervising agriculturist, looked into the posibility of introducing interventions and technology that would help the vegetable farmers in Asipulo, not only to improve their production but also to give them a better perspective on vegetable growing, the organic way. They also looked at organic farming as an effective means to regain the nutrients in the soils that were depleted due to years of using chemical fertilizers. It was from here that a CPAR project on organic vegetable production came about in 2009.Dr. Buenaventura, also the CPAR project leader, said that in order that this initiative on organic farming be effective, farmers must appreciate first its “goodness” both for the people and the environment. There’s a need to capacitate the farmers on how to grow good food the organic way. “To be effective, farmers need to be taught on integrated pest management (IPM) through Farmer’s Field Approach (FFS), improve husbandry practices, fertilizer applications, insect pests and diseases control measures, thereby reducing input costs and optimizing profit,” explained Dr. Buenaventura.Specifically, the CPAR project aimed to increase production and profits through efficient application of improved farming technologies and the adoption of sustainable, ecologically-sound, and economically-viable production system. It has three essential components: 1) introduce approved POT on organic production, 2) train farmers on organic production technology, and 3) provide marketing assistance to farmers’ organic produce.The project started with 40 farmer-cooperators (FCs) from the two municipalities of Asipulo: Amdugdog and Antipulo, which were chosen as sites for the CPAR. The FCs underwent eight sessions of Farmers’ Field School (FFS) to learn several topics on organic farming. Among the topics were on: formulation of Indigenous Micro-organisms (IMO), Oriental Herbal Nutrients (OHN), foliar fertilizers, fermented plant juice (FPJ), and fermented fruit juice (FFJ). Farmers were also taught how to formulate their own gardens, make compost, and carbonize rice hull. Other topics were on: pest and disease management of crucifers and legumes, controlling diseases in seedbed, and insect trapping. To further their technical know-how, the FCs had cross farm visits and educational tours featuring different organic vegetable gardens and vermicompost technology demonstrations.As cooperator of the project, the farmers were provided inputs (UV treated cellophane, sprayers, watering cans, and other materials for the construction of rain shelters).For the marketing component of the project, a display center for organic vegetable was constructed at the provincial capitol in Lagawe to serve as market outlet for the harvests of the farmers. This also serves as display area for the organic produce. “Likewise, a regular market day (every Wednesday) was set for the selling of organically-produced products,” explained Dr. Buenaventura. The market day was launched in June 2013 and as reported, six from the 40 FCs are regualrly bringing their produce for the market day.Currently, the provincial office of Lagawe is exploring the possibility of a contract growing scheme through the Organic Options that will be provided with the produce of the organic vegetable growers in Ifugao. Organic Options will provide the technology and seeds while the cooperators will produce the organic vegetables.Nick proves why organic is the way to goNicolas Dulawan or simply “Nick” to his fellow farmers is a vegetable farmer from Brgy. Haliap in Asipulo, Ifugao and one of the active advocates of organic farming in his community. “Mas malaki ang kita mo sa organic! Sinasalungat ko nga yung common notion ng mga tao na walang pera sa organic farming. Hindi lang nila alam ang mga tamang paraan pero pagnatutunan na nila, makikita nila ang ganda epekto ng organic farming hindi lang sa kita, pati sa kalusugan ng tao at sa kapaligiran na rin” (You have bigger profit in organic! I often dispute common notion of people that there is no money in organic farming. They just lack the technical know how of production but once they learned it, they will see the good effect of organic farming not only in profit but also human health and environment), expressed Nick in an interview during a visit to his farm in Asipulo.Nick is among the first 20 FCs from his municipality that availed of the training under the capacity building component of the CPAR project. Learning organic production did not ony equip him with the skills and the know-how but it also strengthened his earlier confidence on growing organic crops. He mentioned that ever since, he was already interested in organic farming but with limited technical know-how, he was into semi-conventional farming. He was only engaged into it organic farming in 2010 when CPAR came and he became an FC. Currently he is tilling the 200 sq. m farming land, which he is renting to grow organic crops like pepper, tomato, beans, upo, cabbage, brocolli, kamote, pechay, adlai (for feeds). Come harvest time, most of his produced are consumed by his family and the rest are sold in the market.As an organic farmer, he tells his fellow farmers the advantage of growing crops the organic way. “Kase kung ikaw farmer tapos ikaw na ang gumagawa ng sarili mong abono, libre naman yung mga gagamitin tapos may technical knowledge ka na kung paano, hindi ka na bibili ng kamamahal na pestisidyo. Kapag gusto mo talaga mag-organic dapat alam mo din paano gawin ang mga inputs” (If you are the farmer and you make your own fertilizer, the materials are free and you have technical knowledge on how to do it, you need not to buy those expensive pesticide. If you really want to go into organic, you have to know how to make your own inputs), said Nick.More than the profit from farming, Nick mentioned that health is one of the important aspects that organic farming is giving importance, knowing that many people nowadays, particularly the consumers, are health-conscious. “Kaya kami, konti lang ang binebenta namin sa display center kase kinakain na namin. Yung sobra yun lang ang binebenta namin kase sigurado kami na healthy ang kinakain ng pamilya namin.” (We only sell a small portion at the display center because we eat most of our produce. We only sell surplus produce because my family is ensured that what we are eating is healthy.)This habit of ensuring that the family has food to eat first before selling their produce to the market can be rooted to the culture of the people in Asipulo. “Our culture here is that we eat most of our produce and sell them only if we really need the money, say for the tuition of our children. Importante ang sikmura muna!” explained Nick.Nick is also the chairman of the Asipulo Organic Producers Cooperative (ASOPCo) which initially started as an association with two groups of farmers from Amduntog and Antipolo. The members decided to merge the group to become an association. In 2013, the association was approved and registered as a cooperative providing them better benefits particularly in selling their products. As a cooperative, ASOPCo became municipal-wide with members from Asipulo mainly from Brgys. Haliap, Amdugdog, Antipulo, and Pula. Currently, it has 40 members, more than half are women and majority owns their farming lands.Having tried both conventional and organic farming, Nick preferres the latter. He confessed that it is much profitable “because one, it’s not risky to your health, second you can grow vegetables even without money to buy fertilizer since you are making your own, third you can eat your own produce if you don’t have money to buy food.”Nick was able to convince other farmers to also engage in organic farming. He said that most of them got interested but they don‘t know how to do it. “Di sila naniniwala na may pera talaga sa organic farming. Di nila alam na mas binobomba nila ng pesticide at nilalagyang fertilizer mas nadedeplete ang nutrients ng soil.” (They don’t believe that there is money in organic farming. They don’t know that the more that they apply pesticide and fertilizer, nutrients in the soil are being depleted.)When asked what change did the CPAR project brought upon him, Nick said that more than the profit, it’s the awareness on organi farming that he was more thankful for. “Sa ngayon pag wala kaming vegetables parang natatakot na kaming kumain kase naranasan na namin yung awareness.” (We are scared to eat other vegetables that we do not produce). He added that, their family basically grow organic, from the chicken that they raise, the vegetable that they grow to the rice that they plant. “Yung organic palay na pinapatubo namin, yun din ginagamit naming patuka sa mga manok namin” (We also produce our own organic rice that we feed to our chicken) concluded Nick. ### (Rita T. dela Cruz)---------- Contact person: Dr. Catherine V. Buenaventura Supervising agriculturist Provincial Agriculture Environment and Natural Resources Office Lagawe, Ifugao Landline: (074) 382-2063 CP: 09175135133 Email: paenro_lagawe@yahoo.comSource and image: bar.gov.ph

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productive workplace

In recent years, the promotion of health and wellness at the workplace has shifted from being one of many employee benefits to become a strategic business priority. Not only does a positive working environment reduce absenteeism and corporate healthcare costs, having a culture that promotes health and wellness at the workplace plays an important role in driving employee engagement, raising business productivity and improving bottom lines.At the same time, changing workforce dynamics are driving the growing emphasis on the need for corporate wellness. The Millennials at Work study conducted by Herbalife Nutrition in Asia Pacific found that seven in 10 millennials would be motivated to stay active if wellness initiatives were part of their company's culture. With millennials poised to form the majority of the global workforce by 2020, and 75 percent of the global workforce by 2025, this generation – known for their pursuit of healthy lifestyles - will have an increasing influence on workforce dynamics and employee policies.As we cast our sights on the future of work during this year’s Global Employee Health & Fitness Month in May, it is also timely for business leaders to review the health and wellness policies at the workplace against a backdrop of major changes brought about by technology and demographics. With technology increasingly blurring the lines between work and personal life, the growing influence of millennials and a rapidly aging workforce, this presents a critical need for organizations to rethink health and wellness programmes for the future, and for everyone within the organization to play a greater role in shaping a positive working environment from the inside out.For us at Herbalife Nutrition, we see three areas that are key in helping companies foster a healthier and more productive workplace for the future. These include promoting healthy active lifestyles, healthy eating, and mental wellness - involving business leaders and employees throughout the entire organization.

Promoting Healthy, Active Lifestyles Within and Outside the Workplace

In today’s technology connected world, striking a healthy work-life balance seems nearly impossible. With endless streams of demands being placed upon employees via a constant influx of emails and text messages, pulling all-nighters and desktop dining have become familiar scenes in today’s corporate environments.To promote healthy, active living in today’s time-strapped working environments, organizations can make it easier for employees to adopt healthy eating habits and encourage physical activity by making these programmes more accessible for them. Simple initiatives that companies can start with include organizing exercise sessions during lunchtime or in the evening at the workplace or encouraging organization-wide participation in mass sporting events.To push the envelope further, business leaders and managers should also be encouraged to lead their teams in healthy active lifestyle initiatives. For instance, we organized a Healthy Active Lifestyle Challenge as a fun and interactive company-wide competition for leaders and managers to rally their teams to take part in physical activity and healthy eating challenges. Through this initiative, not only did the participation in corporate wellness activities increase, we also saw a significant boost in employee morale and close-knit relationships were formed between the management and their team members, resulting in a positive effect throughout our entire organization.

Encourage Healthy Eating for Employees

Being confined to the work desk for long periods, it can be tempting for employees to reach for unhealthy snacks as quick and convenient means to fuel their brain and body. In view of this trend, organizations can encourage employees to be more conscious about their food intake, and work on organization-wide initiatives to get employees to take a greater interest in healthy eating.For example, companies may organize healthy eating days where healthier food options are catered for employees; or install vending machines within the office to provide healthy snack options. For us at Herbalife Nutrition, we invest in providing complimentary nutrition products for our employees to promote healthy eating through the organization. With the belief that good nutrition will help to foster healthier employees and a healthier workplace, we also involve our resident nutrition experts to share healthy eating tips with our employees regularly to build healthy eating habits across our offices in Asia.

Prioritize Mental and Emotional Wellness for all Employees

With more employees finding it challenging to strike a good balance between their work and personal life, employees can often end up neglecting their personal mental and emotional well-being. To provide mental and emotional health support for their employees, organizations can play an active role to incorporate mental wellness as part of corporate health and wellness programmes. This can be as simple as organizing stress-relief activities such as art jamming classes and stress buster massages, like what we do at Herbalife Nutrition Hong Kong every quarter, to help our employees release stress at work for a healthier and happier life.At the end of the day, building a healthy and more productive workplace begins from the inside out. With collective efforts made by the business leaders in shaping company-wide policies, the human resource teams and managers in rallying employees in organization-wide activities, and the employees themselves in fostering a healthy environment for their colleagues, this can have a multiplier effect in helping organizations shape healthier and happier workplaces for the future.###By Stephen Conchie, Senior Vice President and Managing Director, Herbalife Nutrition Asia Pacific

Some 100 farmers are asking President Benigno S. Aquino III to allow them to start planting the banned Bt eggplant believing it will reduce health-harmful pesticide spraying and will improve consumers’, farmers’, and environmental health.[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="500"] eggplant photo

Photo by dominicotine

[/caption]By signing a Declaration of Support (DOS), farmers mostly planting eggplant from San Pablo City, Laguna and Sariaya, Quezon assert they need the Bt eggplant seeds to become more successful.“We realize that Bt eggplant, which contains the gene similar to the insect resistant Bt corn, can bring benefits to their respective farming communities such as higher yield and income, reduced chemical pesticide use, and improved environmental health,” they said in the signed DOS.The DOS was signed during a public dialogue together with scientists and farmer resource persons at the South East Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture, Los Banos, Laguna.Bt eggplant has the gene Bt or Bacillus thuringiensis that combats the very infesting Fruit and Shoot Borer (FSB). It is a beneficial bacterium commonly found in the soil. Bt is harmful to the pest because of their alkaline-type stomach. It is not harmful to human which has an acidic stomach. Tests proved its safety as food based on tests on allergenecity and toxicity. It has all the nutrients equivalent to common eggplants.It was developed by state-run University of the Philippines Los Banos and is also seen to help solve problems of hunger and poverty.Eggplant farmer Henry Rucafor of Brgy. San Cristobal, San Pablo City said he hopes the seeds will be made available sooner.“They should already launch it so that we can try to improve our livelihood,” Rucafor said in Filipino. “One hundred percent of our farmers want Bt eggplant.”Rucafor admits farmers in San Pablo City do not practice donning protective personal equipment or PPE to protect themselves from the harmful spraying.“It’s difficult to find those (equipment),” he said. He admits somebody else, a farm hand, does the spraying for him. He planted eggplant on his 8,000 square meters farm this season.On his first try at eggplant farming, he earned a gross of P100,000, that seemed to be a beginners’ luck.Later on, he encountered how destructive the pest FSB is. Infestation could wipe out 50 percent of harvest and income.He started using different kinds of pesticides to battle FSB. Among the sprays are Brodan and Pegasus.“You cannot use the same brand of pesticide again and again because one kind may not always be effective. You have to try different ones every now and then,” said Rucafor.He has been planting eggplant for around 20 years.Pesticide spraying is dreaded by farmers themselves. They as they expose themselves directly to the mists in spraying.However, the farmers are up against a Writ of kalikasan with Temporary Environmental Protection Order against the genetically modified Bt eggplant issued by the Court of Appeals (CA).They expect the Supreme Court to reverse the CA order which effectively banned Bt eggplant field trials, consequently the seeds’ commercial release.In the DOS, the farmers said they UPLB’s multi-location field trials complied with government’s strict environmental regulation. Its safety as food has also been well-proven.“We recognize the safety of products of modern biotechnology that have passed food safety assessment based on international standards such as the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and World Health Organization CODEX Alimentarius Risk Analysis of Food Derived from Modern Biotechnology,” they said.National food security can be achieved in the Philippines given the use of science to solve food problems, according to the DOS.“We will keep ourselves updated on science-based and factual information so that we can be a partner in the policy and decision-making process towards the use of agri-biotechnology to attain food sustainability and food security.”In Sariaya, Quezon, Tomas Villamin, an eggplant farmer of the San Roque Farmers’ Assn., said he believes government should first let farmers use the Bt eggplant seeds before concluding that it is harmful.“Maybe it’s not too much for us to ask for government to first allow us to use it and let us experience a better livelihood,” he said in Filipino. “Let’s try it first. If it’s bad, then let’s stop it.”Reyes admits to not wearing protective gears while spraying.“It’s irrigating to use them. I can’t breathe with that gear (mask) on,” he said.He laments that because of the pest FSB, many eggplants cannot be sold in the market.The rejects, though, which have untidy appearance because of the black tunnels bored by the FSB inside the eggplant flesh, have uses.“Some are given as feeds to the carabao. They are also cut into the ingredients for pakbet, the holes are just removed,” he said.Reyes is certain Bt eggplant seeds will be sold out once released.“When farmers hear about any product that is good, they will buy that in order to avoid pesticide spraying,” he said.He will be able to omit much use of the insecticide Prevathon.“There are times we spray once a week, and some two times a week,” he said.Farmers are known to spray 60 to 80 times during a 120-day eggplant season. They may spend as much as 50 percent of around P50,000 per hectare production cost just to battle pests. That includes labor and spray.Rosie Reyes, an eggplant sorter, is afraid of the harmful effects of pesticide spraying on farmers.“Umiikli ang buhay ng magsasaka dito. Sa amoy pa lang ng pestisidyo, nakakatakot nang isipin (ang epekto) lalo na kapag sutil ang nag-spray. Kailangan talaga gumamit ng mask,” Reyes said.For any questions or interview requests, please contact 0999-573-7077 or 0917-733-6628.

Farm tourism’s non-inclusion in the Investment Priorities Plan (IPP) 2017 and lack of financing for agritourism cooperatives have been identified as major gaps that hinder Philippines’agritourism development.In a farm tourism workshop hosted by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), a strategic plan has been presented to iron out the gaps that will make the Philippines benchmark with the progressive farm tourism prominence of Japan and Thailand.[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="500"] agritourism photo

Photo by mckaysavage

[/caption]“It is imperative to close the gap to ensure that there is a harmonized approach to development, monitoring, and evaluation across all partner agencies,” said Gwendolyn S. Batoon, Department of Tourism (DOT) Farm & Ecotourism team head at the SEARCA workshop.DOT is adopting the “Philippine Brand” which patterns after Thailand’s use of its unique identity of farming rice and silk while promoting its canal waterways as conveyors of marketing farm produce.At the same time, its other benchmark is Japan’s use of “prefecture” identity—promoting its unique products like wasabi and wagyu.Promoting farm tourism has been a top advocacy of SEARCA since it introduced in 2012 the first Philippine National Agritourism Research Conference, believing it is a route to more rural jobs and increasing farmers’ income.“We are happy that four years later, the Philippines has signed into law the Farm Tourism Development Act. It will help raise farmers’ income and increase players in the rural tourism industry,” said SEARCA Director Gil C. Saguiguit Jr.He cites important progress in agritourism in the Mekong sub-region.“Southeast Asia is blessed with natural resources… some have potentials to contribute substantially to the region’s economy. The Mekong sub-region have recognized that agriculture and tourism are not totally mutually exclusive. These have convergence points that bring value added to each other,” Saguiguit said.SEARCA has partnered with the International School of Sustainable Tourism, Agricultural Training Institute, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), and Department of Trade and Industry, and the office of Sen. Cynthia Villar in pushing for agritourism development.Batoon said these are other important gaps to solve:· Absence or lack of marketing support or corresponding financial incentives including those for joint promotions, participations in trade fairs and exhibits, standardization of farm tourism brands, and assistance in distribution and marketing of farm products· Absence of comprehensive farm tourism information system· Absence of capacity building of local government units and for farm owners to take on functions of tour operators to improve mark up in favor of farmers and given seasonal workforce· Absence of data on supply side, trends and innovations on farm tourism that may be shared with operators· Inadequate knowledge on manpower needs, sustainable practices, and lack of data on sustainable farm tourism· Un-harmonized competency standards on training regulations and cost of accreditation for farm tourism enterprises· Absence of technical vocational training for farm tourism operators/practitioners· Absence of subsidy for farmers to attend international conferences to benchmark against international models· Lack of integration of hospitality programs and absence of formalization of farm tourism employment· Lack of infrastructure support to develop farm to market road, access road to the farms and ultimately widening to accommodate farm tourism capacity.· Lack of retail orientation for “roadside curbs to contribute to the sales of the farms that provide the produce for these destination specialty goods”· Lack of assistance for farm sanitation and energy management which is an expensive cost for industriesTourism can become a strong source of economic growth, she said.“When agritourism experience becomes an event that leaves a lasting impression of ‘Made in the Philippines’ and the Philippines’ Way of Life, tourism truly becomes a pillar of economic growth in the rural community,” said Batoon.Government needs to promote destinations as sources of specialty products. This will expand the small and medium enterprise (SME) supply chain.“Agritourism has the potential to enhance the appeal and demand for local products not only to the domestic market but to the international travelers who can be the catalyst for growth in the international market,” said Batoon. End (Growth Publishing for SEARCA)

An ASEAN market access program aims to close a wide gap in the contribution to GDP of extremely poor regions such as the Muslim region’s minuscule 1% compared to the National Capital Region’s 36%.

Data presented to a market integration program of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study & Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) showed eight regions have been pathetically laggard in contributing to the gross domestic product (GDP) from 2010 to 2016.

The Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) only had a 1% share to GDP as the region (Basilan, Maguindanao, Lanao del Sur) is conflict-affected, Philippine Statistics Authority record showed.

But so was Region 13 (Agusan & Surigao provinces, Butuan, Dinagat Is.) which also had just a 1% GDP share.

Other regions that merely had a 2% GDP share are Regions 2 (Santiago, Quirino, Nueva Vizcaya, Cagayan, Isabela) 4B (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Palawan) 5 (Bicol), 8 (Samar, Leyte), 9 (Zamboanga), and Cordillera Admin. Region (Abra,Apayao, Benguet, Kalinga, Mt. Province).

The aim of Agricultural Transformation & Market Integration (ATMI), funded by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and co-implemented by SEARCA, is to help bring together the production of small farmers.

SEARCA Director Gil C. Saguiguit Jr. said the project could bring benefits to farmers in light of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC).

“The challenge is for varied institutions and stakeholders, especially smallholder farmers and small-scale rural entrepreneurs, to step up and maximize the benefits of borderless trade,” said Saguiguit.

When consolidated, their small produce can be bulkier—enough to supply to big markets (supermarkets).

ATMI, a $2.5 million study program also co-implemented by the International Food Policy Research Institute, will identify what small farmers need in order take bigger roles in an entire “value chain”—all activities involved from the idea of a product to its delivery to consumers.

Nieva T. Natural, Department of Agriculture Planning chief, said during SEARCA’s ATMI inception program that in the case of coffee, its value chain involves 28,000 farmers, 100 farmers’ associations, 200 microprocessors, 28 processors, 12 nursery operators, and 100 agriculture stores.

The chain involves provision of seeds, land preparation, processing of the coffee bean, roasting of the beans, and trading. It involves coffee bean traders like Nestle, roasters, and institutional/household buyers.

Avinash Kishore of IFPRI said small farmers can grow in the bigger value chain through these market integration drivers:

• Improved infrastructure and innovations (containers) reduce transport costs

• Better communications that facilitate coordination and global value-chains

• International trade and intra-national policy changes that reduce trade barriers

“Market integration is the degree of exchange of goods and services between two or more regions,” said Kishore.

A project related to ATMI which must serving as model for other market integration program is the Provincial Commodity Investment Plan (PCIP) approved by the Provincial Development Council.

“PCIPs are being used to generate more investments and attention from other agencies and financing windows to promote priority commodities,” Natural said.

For the poorest regions, increased value chain involvement of small farmers are being done under the approved PCIP for the following -- abaca, Cavendish banana, and oil palm in ARMM and Region 13.

Other assistance in the form of farm to market roads, irrigation, credit for microenterprises, machines are extended by the Philippine Rural Development Programs to farmers involved in citrus, dairy, upland rice (Region 2) and arrowroot,banana chips, calamansi, cashew, cassava chips, coconut, mango, onion seaweeds, and tuna (Region 4B).

Among top commodities for value chain enhancement in Region 5 under the same approved PCIP are abaca, cassava, coconut, crablet, goat, pili, pineapple, seaweeds, and sweet potato.

For Region 8, interventions will be for farmers that are into banana and coconut, and Region 9, rubber. For Cordillera, help will be for banana, ube, coffee, mango, potato, cardaba,and pigmented rice.

Kishore showed the Philippines fell behind Vietnam in annual growth in food production from 2000 to 2013.

Philippines’ production of vegetables grew at 1.9%; fruit,3%; meat, 3.2%; fish, 2.4%; eggs,3.6%,and milk5.5%.

Vietnam’s growth was far more impressive—vegetables, 6.6%; fruit, 3.5%; meat, 6.1%; fish,7.4%; eggs, 5.7%; and milk, 13.3%. (Growth Publishing for SEARCA)

For any questions or interview requests, please contact 0929-715-8669, 0917-102-6734 (Growth Publishing for SEARCA)

pipprofit

Kingstown, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines - Media OutReach - 13 May 2019 - Fullerton Markets today announced the launch of its mobile app, PipProfit!. The release of the one-stop platform marks the brokerage firm's foray into the app scene, where it aims to deliver improved convenience and seamless experiences to its global clientele.

PipProfit! boasts features that allow users to carry out trading-related activities easily, while keeping them informed of the latest news and events. Among other things, traders can look forward to sending deposit and withdrawal requests and accessing educational resources and timely market updates for profitable trading. Additionally, partners or Introducing Brokers will be able to onboard new clients more quickly and retrieve valuable business data and metrics pertaining to their clients' performance and their business growth.

Said CEO of Fullerton Markets, Mario Singh, "The app was birthed with the vision of having our solutions be more accessible to a larger audience, while also making sure we better serve our existing clients. We realised that a mobile-friendly or mobile-responsive website was no longer enough. Our core services have to be fully hosted on mobile if we were to provide a richer experience for on-the-go, tech-savvy consumers. The statistics speak for themselves -- interactions with brands today are twice as likely to happen on mobile than anywhere else and 80% of smartphone users are more likely to purchase from companies with mobile apps that offer answers to their questions."

Apart from the familiar trade offerings that are currently available on the Fullerton Markets website, app users will also enjoy new features such as an events module. This gives them access to a complete overview of activities organised by Fullerton Markets and allows them to immediately register for any event, check in, and upload images of their participation. Users will be alerted to event updates via mobile notifications.

"This comprehensive platform will serve as an important tool for our clients to transfer funds, track business performance and growth and stay updated on news and happenings that have an impact on their trading journey. Through PipProfit!, we hope to take customer engagement, expediency and the trading experience to the next level," added Mario.

The app can be downloaded from the App Store on iOS or Google Play Store on Android.

johnson electric

Highlights of FY2018/19 Results

For the financial year ended 31 March 2019, total sales amounted to US$3,280 million -- an increase of 1% compared to the prior financial year. Excluding the effects of acquisition and foreign currency movements, underlying sales increased by 2%
EBITDA totalled US$549 million -- an increase of 6%
Operating profits increased by 3% to US$344 million or 10.5% of sales (compared to 10.4% of sales in FY17/18)
Net profit attributable to shareholders increased by 7% to US$281 million (or 31.60 US cents per share on a fully diluted basis). Underlying net profit, which excludes the net impact of non-cash foreign currency-related gains/losses and a prior year non-cash gain on an acquisition, decreased by 10% to US$243 million
Capital expenditure totalled US$391 million -- up 28%, reflecting major investments in advanced automation, technology and manufacturing footprint expansion
As of 31 March 2019, cash reserves amounted to US$340 million and the Group's ratio of total debt to EBITDA was 1.2 times

HONG KONG,CHINA - Media OutReach - 16th May 2019 - Johnson Electric Holdings Limited ("Johnson Electric"), a global leader in electric motors and motion subsystems, today announced its results for the twelve months ended 31 March 2019.

Group sales for the 2018/19 financial year totalled US$ 3,280 million -- an increase of 1% compared to the prior financial year. Excluding the effects of acquisition and foreign currency movements, underlying sales increased by 2% . Net profit attributable to shareholders rose 7% to US$281 million. Underlying net profit, which excludes the net impact of non-cash foreign currency-related gains/losses and a prior year non-cash gain on an acquisition, decreased by 10% to US$243 million.

Sales Performance

The softening in the global economy in the second half of the financial year, along with industry-specific factors, represented a major headwind for the Group with the result that total sales amounted to US$3,280 million, an increase of 1% over the prior financial year.

After several years of strong growth momentum, the global automotive industry stalled in 2018 as US car sales peaked, Europe was held back by new emissions testing rules and China sales declined for the first time in two decades.

The Automotive Products Group ("APG"), Johnson Electric's largest operating division, achieved sales of US$2,530 million. Excluding acquisition and currency effects, APG's sales increased by 2 %. On a regional basis, the strongest performance was in the Americas where APG increased sales by almost 8% in constant currency terms against a market where light vehicle production volumes were flat. In Asia, sales grew by just over 2% in constant currency terms compared to a decline in regional industry production of almost 3%. China's car industry experienced a particularly sharp contraction in production volumes of over 6% as a result of the expiration of favourable tax purchase policies, as well as the overall slowdown in consumption and economic activity. APG performed less well in Europe with sales declining approximately 3% in constant currency terms compared to a decline of 2.6% in regional production volumes. European passenger car production was held back by the implementation of the "worldwide light vehicles test procedure", or WLTP -- designed to offer more realistic fuel economy results -- which caused OEM production bottlenecks and negatively impacted car sales in the second half of the year.

The Industry Products Group ("IPG") reported a 1 % increase in sales to US$750 million -- representing 23% of total Group sales. Generally weaker macro-economic conditions and the US-China tariff dispute put a dampener on demand across many of the Group's end-market segments. Nonetheless, through a combination of market share gains and new customer launches, IPG was able to grow sales in the Americas by over 6% in constant currency terms. Sales to European customers were essentially flat compared to the prior year. In Asia, sales were down just under 2% in constant currency terms due to the combination to uncertainties over US-China trade relations, slower economic growth in China and customer-specific launch delays.

Pressure on Underlying Profit

Gross profit decreased by 5% to US$751 million -- which as a percentage of sales represented a reduction from 24.4% to 22.9%. This disappointing performance was due to the combination of weaker sales volumes in a majority of APG's business units (particularly in the second half when sales declined on both a sequential and year-on-year basis) and the negative impact of pricing pressure and higher raw material, labour and depreciation expenses.

The Group's operating profit benefited from a substantial increase in " Other Income and expenses". This was primarily due to the impact of a mark-to-market gain on structured foreign exchange contracts that form part of Johnson Electric's long-term operational hedging activities and net changes in the revaluation of monetary assets and liabilities and other foreign currency hedging contracts. As a result of these and other non-cash items, operating profits increased by 3 % to US$344 million or 10.5 % of sales.

A lower effective tax rate also boosted the bottom line, with net profit attributable to shareholders totalling US$281 million -- an increase of 7% compared to the prior year.

Dividends

In view of the decrease in underlying operating income and significant ongoing capital investments in strengthening the business, the Board recommends maintaining the final dividend of 34 HK cents per share, which together with the interim dividend of 17 HK cents per share, represents a total dividend of 51 HK cents per share.

Chairman's Comments Outlook

Commenting on the outlook for the business, Dr. Patrick Wang, Chairman and Chief Executive, said, " Demand levels in several of our major markets have remained comparatively weak in recent months -- with China's automotive sector in particular continuing to contract. Consequently, the prospect of the US-China trade dispute escalating represents a significant risk as to whether trading conditions are able to improve in the near term."

Dr. Wang further commented, "Approximately 5% of the Group's total annual sales volume is currently subject to Section 301 tariffs that have been imposed on goods imported into the USA from China. While this exposure is not especially large in the context of Johnson Electric's diversified global sales base, if the USA and China fail to reach a negotiated trade agreement in the coming weeks the effects will be disruptive to our global supply chain and could result in higher cost for our business, our customers and consumers."

"Notwithstanding the difficult and highly unpredictable current operating environment, I remain optimistic about Johnson Electric's competitive position and growth trajectory in the medium to longer term. Our product line is aligned with the market's need for mission-critical solutions to electrification, emissions, cooling, weight reduction and energy saving problems -- as exemplified by a strong pipeline of new business launches scheduled for the current financial year. Our global manufacturing footprint provides us with the means to be both responsive to customers and mitigate the negative impact of foreign currency volatility and import tariffs. Further, we benefit significantly from a diverse, high-quality customer base balanced evenly across the world's three major regional economies."

JOHNSON ELECTRIC HOLDINGS LIMITED

CONSOLIDATED INCOME STATEMENT

	For the 12 Months Ended 31 March
	2019	2018	% change
	US$M	US$M	% change

Sales	3,280.4	3,236.6	+1%

Cost of goods sold	(2,529.0)	(2,445.4)

Gross profit	751.4	791.2	(5)%

Other income and (expenses)	78.9	13.9

Selling and administrative expenses	(486.1)	(469.9)

Operating profit	344.2	335.2	+3 %

Finance income and costs, net	(16.4)	(13.5)

Share of profits of associate	0.1	1.1

Profit before income tax	327.9	322.8	+2 %

Income tax expense	(38.3)	(48.6)

Profit for the year	289.6	274.2	+6 %

Deduct: Non-controlling interests	(8.3)	(10.2)


Profit attributable to shareholders	281.3	264.0	+7%


Basic earnings per share (in US cents)	32.46	30.64	+6 %
Diluted earnings per share (in US cents)	31.60	29.65	+7 %

Note to Editors and Securities Analysts: The full text of the FY2018/19 Preliminary Results announcement, including additional financial information, is available through the Investor Relations section of company's website at www.johnsonelectric.com

About Johnson Electric Group

The Johnson Electric Group is a global leader in electric motors, actuators, motion subsystems and related electro-mechanical components. It serves a broad range of industries including Automotive, Smart Metering, Medical Devices, Business Equipment, Home Automation, Ventilation, White Goods, Power Tools, and Lawn & Garden Equipment. The Group is headquartered in Hong Kong and employs over 38,000 individuals in 23 countries worldwide. Johnson Electric Holdings Limited is listed on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited (Stock Code: 179). For further information, please visit: www.johnsonelectric.com .

Forward Looking Statements

This news release contains certain forward looking statements with respect to the financial condition, results of operations and business of Johnson Electric and certain plans and objectives of the management of Johnson Electric.

Words such as "outlook", "expects", "anticipates", "intends", "plans", "believe", "estimates", "projects", variations of such words and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Such forward looking statements involve known and unknown risk, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results or performance of Johnson Electric to be materially different from any future results or performance expressed or implied by such forward looking statements. Such forward looking statements are based on numerous assumptions regarding Johnson Electric's present and future business strategies and the political and economic environment in which Johnson Electric will operate in the future.

ERA realty

SINGAPORE - Media OutReach - 16 May 2019 - ERA Realty Network (ERA) has been awarded the highest industry's honour -- the "five-star" distinction in the "Real Estate Agency Single Office" category -- during the Asia Pacific Property Awards gala dinner at The Marriott Marquis Queen's Park, Bangkok, held on the 14th -15th May 2019. Widely recognised as a world-renowned mark of excellence, ERA has emerged the top amongst the award winners in the Asia Pacific regions.

ERA Chief Operating Officers Mr Marcus Chu and Ms Doris Ong receiving the award during the Asia Pacific Property Awards gala dinner at the Marriott Marquis Queen's Park, Bangkok

Organised by the International Property Awards, the Asia Pacific Property Awards is considered the largest, most prestigious, and widely recognised programme throughout the region. Now in its 26th year, the awards recognise the region most outstanding real estate organisations and trailblazing property professionals from around the globe who have been redefining industry standards through the pioneering of real estate concepts and services.

The Asia Pacific Property Awards 2019-20 nominees were judged by an independent panel of over 80 industry experts, with judging focuses on the nominees' commitment to sustainability, design, quality, service, innovation, and originality. The panel is chaired by Lord Caithness, Lord Best, The Earl of Liverpool, and Lord Thurso; all of whom are the members of the House of Lords in the UK Parliament.

"Winning the five-star Asia Pacific Property Awards is a tremendous recognition as it is widely recognised as a world-renowned mark of excellence. This prestigious award is an assurance to everyone that we provide excellent support to our agents and it also gives our customers peace of mind that they are dealing with a reputable real estate agent. Besides, it is also a testament to the company's mission to become the real estate agency of choice for both salespersons and customers alike," said Mr Jack Chua, Chief Executive Officer of ERA.

Strong Presence in Asia Pacific

Headquartered in Singapore, ERA has been redefining industry standards through the pioneering of real estate concepts, technologies, initiatives and services since its inception in 1982. ERA currently has a presence in 10 countries with a total of 633 offices and 17,757 associates throughout the Asia Pacific region namely: Singapore, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Its current agent strength in Singapore stands above 6,800 agents.

With the recent acquisition of the master franchisor for Indonesia and the direct ownership of the master franchise in Thailand, ERA continues to strengthen its presence in the Asia Pacific region. ERA has also acquired a new commercial property in Singapore to further harness its leadership position in the region. With the new building, ERA also becomes the first and only real estate agency in Singapore to own a building.

Serving as the head office of ERA Asia Pacific, this new full-fledged agent-service hub -- named the ERA APAC Centre -- is capable of supporting its strong network and to facilitate better collaboration with teammates across the region. With a gross floor area of more than 45,000 sq. ft., this hub will spot a premium agent lounge for meeting and recruitment purposes, 2 training theatres, numerous training rooms, agency services, F&B outlets and shops; as well as dedicated and co-sharing workspaces.

The Merger of Innovation And Marketing

One of the key reasons behind ERA's spectacular win is its wide-ranging digital innovations, one of which is the award-winning i-ERA mobile app. From the intuitive display of the training calendars, to comprehensive floor plans and charts, to allowing seamless personalisation of marketing templates, this mobile app allows ERA salespersons to access any information they need on-the-go.

Another outstanding feature of the app is the most-updated financial calculators that can help potential home buyers gauge their Total Debt Servicing Ratio (TDSR) or Mortgage Servicing Ratio (MSR), and assess the amount of Additional Buyer's Stamp Duty (ABSD), Seller's Stamp Duty (SSD), mortgage repayments and interest payable.

Also greatly helping its agents to do their work is the ERA 24/7 PropWatch. This free listing tool maximises the reach and efficiency of ERA salespersons by keeping them informed with the latest property transactions in the market. Clients can also sign up for the service to get notifications on recent industry-wide neighbourhood property transactions and search for potential buyers or tenants for their property at no charge.

ERA also improves the search experience of the public with FindPropertyAgent.sg. With a smart algorithm running on consumers' searches, this site allows consumers to find the right agent for their property based on their preferred search requirements. The site also allows consumers to read genuine reviews, ratings, and awards attained by the agents. Besides benefiting the public, the portal also generates free leads due to the prevalent use of the portal by homeowners -- an exclusive advantage unique to ERA agents only.

All these innovations have been backed up with extensive company-level marketing efforts through published press advertisements, television and radio interviews, podcasts as well as various online marketing efforts in the form of posters and videos via their social media channels. These innovations and marketing efforts attracted major attention, improving ERA's online authority and brand visibility and led to unprecedented audience buzz.

About ERA

Headquartered in Singapore, ERA Realty Network Pte Ltd (ERA) is a leader in real estate. The company has been setting and redefining industry standards through the pioneering of real estate concepts, technologies, initiatives and services since its inception in 1982. ERA is a wholly-owned subsidiary of SGX Mainboard Listed, APAC Realty Limited. The Group has a vast network of offices throughout Asia Pacific with over 17,757 associates from Singapore, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan and Vietnam.

In Singapore, we have over 6,800 associates providing a diverse range of professional services and solutions for: Private and HDB residential resale, residential leasing, project marketing, commercial and industrial, property management, auction, valuation and research. Through Ultimate Training Programme, a series of specially curated training courses developed for ERA teammates, they are able to revolutionise their skills, equip themselves with the latest trends and insights of the property market, and stay ahead of the competition. With close to four decades of experience, extensive network and innovative technological tools, the company has secured innumerable dream homes for its customers in Singapore and around the world.

Recent accolades are testaments to the company's diligence - ERA was awarded Top Property Agency by Influential Brands; Most Innovative Real Estate Agency by SBR Listed Companies Awards; Favourite Real Estate Agent (Gold) Award by Expat Living Readers' Choice Awards; and also Marketing Agency Excellence Award at EdgeProp Singapore Excellence Awards in 2018. For more information, visithttps://www.era.com.sg

ERA Realty Network Pte Ltd

Estate Agent License No. L3002382K

Mountbatten Square

229 Mountbatten Road #03-01

Singapore 398007

About International Property Award

The International Property Awards recognises the industry's best residential property professionals from around the globe. They celebrate the highest levels of achievement by companies operating in all sectors of the property and real estate industry. An International Property Award is a world-renowned mark of excellence.

The awards are split into regions covering Africa, Asia Pacific, Arabia, Canada, Caribbean, Central & South America, Europe, UK and USA. Participants enter at their relevant national level and are judged by a panel of well-respected experts representing well-established professional bodies from different countries.

Companies selected as winners are then invited to attend an awards dinner and have the right to use the prestigious logo in their daily marketing activities. For more information, visit http://www.propertyawards.net.

knowledge of design

International Speakers to Explore Global Design and Digital Innovation Trends and Reveal the Possibilities for Hong Kong’s Smart City Development

HONG KONG, CHINA - Media OutReach - 16^th May 2019 - Knowledge of Design Week (KODW) organised by Hong Kong Design Centre (HKDC) with Create Hong Kong (CreateHK) of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR Government) as the Lead Sponsor will be held from 17^th to 21^st June this year. In the KODW 2019 Media Preview hosted by HKDC today, "Designing Digital Futures" was revealed as the theme of the annual event. During the five-day curated programme comprising three thematic forums, seven interactive workshops, an InnoDesign Leadership CEO Forum and a Roundtable on Public Service Innovation, local and worldwide designers, decision makers, entrepreneurs and field experts will explore the latest global design and innovation trends, understand how human-centred design serves as a bridge between "digital and technology" and "user experience", and be inspired with new directions for future urban design.

(From left to right) Mr. Michael Chan, Deputy Academic Director (Design) of Hong Kong Design Institute; Mr. Chris Dobson, Principal of Eight Inc.; Prof. Eric Yim, Chairman of Hong Kong Design Centre; and Dr. Edmund Lee, Executive Director of Hong Kong Design Centre attended the Media Preview of KODW 2019 today.

Taking a human-centred design approach, KODW 2019 will have speakers and workshop leaders to discuss how design, digital and technology can transform the challenges the world is facing into opportunities, enhance our quality of life, and make Hong Kong a more dynamic, inclusive, innovative, sustainable and liveable city. The event promises to fire the imagination and outline new possibilities for future design-led innovation for the city. These are all in line with the HKSAR Government's efforts to promote good design and the creative industries and to transform Hong Kong into a world-class smart city.

Prof. Eric Yim, Chairman of Hong Kong Design Centre said in the Media Preview today, "Building on the theme 'Design for Liveability' last year which captured the attention of the industry and the general public, KODW 2019 will continue to inspire new ideas and discussion related to this topic, by looking into how human-centred design serves as a bridge between 'digital and technology' and 'user experience' as we explore design-led innovation for the city, economy, culture and our living. The aim is to enhance local urban planning, advance the strategic use of design and creative thinking to drive the new economy, business, education, social well-being etc., and to invite people from all walks of life to explore new directions."

Thematic Forums: Three Cornerstones of Future Urban Life

During the five-day event, internationally-renowned industry experts and business leaders from around 10 cities across America, Europe and Asia will gather together in the three thematic forums to be held in Hong Kong on 19^th and 20^th June 2019 to explore the three cornerstones of future urban life: "Liveable Smart City", "Future Retail & Lifestyle" and "Digital Health".

"Liveable Smart City" will explore new possibilities for the liveable cities of tomorrow. Speakers will share their experiences in using design and creative thinking to solve problems and create value in innovative urban systems. Di-Ann Eisnor, from The We Company (formerly known as WeWork), who previously incubated new urban systems at Google's Area 120 will share how enterprises may use global-scale databases to find creative urban solutions and respond to the government and citizens' need in the fast-changing world.

Other speakers are James Law, JP, Hong Kong architect and Chairman & CEO of James Law Cybertecture famed for his OPod Tube House and design-led infrastructure development in the United Arab Emirates; Ren Yee, creative team member from UNStudio/UNSense, the architecture studio behind the planning and creation of Brainport Smart District, the "smartest neighbourhood in the world" in the Netherlands; and Chris Ferguson, one of the senior executives of the UK's Government Digital Service (GDS), who is responsible for coordinating the strategies between GDS and the UK public sector, and who extensively uses design, digital solutions and technology to enhance the quality of public services and catalyse innovation across government.

"Future Retail & Lifestyle" will dive into trends, disruptions and new frontiers in the post-omnichannel retail landscape. Speakers will look at how brands are reinventing business to create personalised, intuitive and connected experiences for digitally-empowered customers. Tommy Campbell, digital designer with SPACE10, IKEA's research & design lab that explores new possibilities and solutions for future life, will deconstruct how digital and technology can improve the quality of our daily lives, make structural changes in the industry ecosystem, and create opportunities in the face of changing consumption patterns.

Other speakers are: Alexis Bonhomme, Vice President Greater China - Commercial, Farfetch, a leading global fashion shopping platform with more than 2,000 designers and luxury brands; Anson Shum, Co-Founder and Creative Director of OOKONN, a Hong Kong luggage brand that breaks the traditional design concept with its circular shape; Chris Dobson, from the prominent experience design studio Eight Inc. that designed the iconic Apple Store experience; and Raymond Leung, Vice President (Sales & Client Services) of Cherrypicks, a Hong Kong mobile technology and mobile business developer with over 100 international and local awards for its products and technologies.

"Digital Health" will discover new innovation opportunities and solutions for health and care in the digital age. Low Cheaw Hwei, Head of Design for Philips ASEAN Pacific, will share how design thinking, digital and technology can improve the healthcare system and change people's mindsets through design, so that various solutions to medical problems can be developed from individual to institutional levels. Prof. Fung Hong, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) Medical Centre and Professor of Practice in Health Services Management of The Jockey Club School of Public Health & Primary Care, CUHK, will share his experience in advocating and developing "Smart Hospitals" in Hong Kong.

Other speakers are: Chris McCormack, Managing Director, Digital Care Planning, Helix Centre, a design-led innovation lab in healthcare based at St. Mary's Hospital in London, a collaboration between Royal College of Art and Imperial College London; Liam McGuire, lead designer of Opaque Media Group, a premier technology consultancy in Australia, who has worked with the Australian Alzheimer Association using the latest Virtual Reality (VR) technology to enable healthcare professionals to feel and experience the life challenges of people with cognitive impairment; Vicki Tan, Lead Product Designer at Headspace, a mobile app that creates a health meditation experience for its users; and Rama Gheerawo, Director of the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design, Royal College of Art, who is a world leading champion for inclusive design.

Interactive Workshops: Learning from Industry-Leading Figures

Apart from the three thematic forums, KODW 2019 also boasts seven interactive workshops to be held on 17^th, 18^th and 21^st June 2019 respectively. With the sharing of experiences and ideas during the workshops, participants will learn more about the global trends in design along three major directions, namely, "Design Thinking & Future Mindset", "Collaborate & Co-Design" and "Unleashing Creativity". One of the workshops is: "Breaking Space and Media Boundaries: Co-creating Augmented Experiences" hosted by Tin&Ed, a playful and highly versatile design studio. In this workshop that emphasises digital media experiments, participants will learn about mixed media through the experience of virtual and real interactions.

In the workshop "Masterclass by Javier Mariscal: Digital Drawing -- Move in Hong Kong", the famous Spanish design master Javier Mariscal will present his creative design thinking, not only through lively brainstorming exercises, that try to define and analyse the core values ??of Hong Kong, but also through an iPad digital drawing demonstration to present his unique thinking and visual interpretation of Hong Kong.

Clive Grinyer, one of the Creative Leaders 50 selected by Creative Review in 2018 will also come to Hong Kong for the first time to host the workshop "Designing for Digital and Service Transformation" in which he will present different case studies to showcase how service design is bringing changes to private and public organisations, and how digital tools and knowledge such as artificial intelligence, big data and Internet of Things (IoT) technology can transform services through a human-centred design approach. Other workshops are two sessions of the highly popular "The LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® Method: Envisioning Future Leadership for Change" hosted by Per Kristiansen, Partner of Trivium; "Design Thinking in a Day: Advanced Tools for Creativity and Leadership" (Tentative Title) hosted by Rama Gheerawo; and "Sorting Wheat from Chaff: A Robust Approach to Emerging Technology Adoption" co-hosted by Liam McGuire and Chris Mackenzie.

In addition, KODW has an InnoDesign Leadership CEO Forum and a Roundtable on Public Service Innovation where experts will discuss the latest developments in innovative design.

More details about "Knowledge of Design Week 2019":

Date:	17^th -- 21^st June 2019
Time:	09:00-18:00
Venue:	Hotel ICON, 17 Science Museum Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui (Forums -- 19^th & 20^th June) Eaton Hotel Hong Kong, 380 Nathan Road, Kowloon (Workshops -- 17^th, 18^th & 21^st June)
Website:	https://www.kodw.org/pr
Tel:	2522 8688

KODW 2019 welcomes design practitioners, brand leaders, business executives & professionals, government and policy makers, academia and anyone who has an interest in innovation, from Hong Kong, the Mainland, Southeast Asia and beyond as participants. For more details about the programme and ticketing, please visit the official website (https://www.kodw.org/pr), WeChat account (??????HKDC) or Facebook page (KODW Knowledge of Design Week ???????).

About Knowledge of Design Week

Knowledge of Design Week (KODW) is an annual thematic programme that gathers the global design community to explore the use of design in tackling the big issues of today. The five-day event fosters cross-disciplinary learning and exchange through forums, roundtables, case studies and workshops, and also offers participants unique business networking opportunities.

Since its launch in 2006, KODW has proven to be an invaluable knowledge sharing platform connecting global field experts, policy makers, industry leaders and forward-thinking minds. It engages us in a multi-level dialogue on how design can solve complex challenges of our society. KODW website: www.kodw.org.

About Hong Kong Design Centre

Hong Kong Design Centre (HKDC) was founded in 2001 as a strategic partner of the HKSAR Government in establishing Hong Kong as centre of design excellence in Asia. HKDC continues its public mission to promote wider and strategic use of design and design thinking to create business value and improve societal well-being. Our initiatives are anchored by five major work directions: CONNECT, CELEBRATE, NURTURE, ADVANCE and ENGAGE.

HKDC's flagship programmes include Business of Design Week (since 2002) -- Asia's leading annual conference and event on Design, Innovation and Brands; DFA Awards (since 2003) -- a widely recognised design award scheme that celebrates outstanding designs with Asian perspectives; Design Incubation Programme (since 2012) and Fashion Incubation Programme (since 2016) -- 2-year incubation programmes to nurture future design and fashion entrepreneurs; FASHION ASIA HONGKONG (since 2016) -- a fashion initiative combining conversations, interactions and cultural exchanges to energise the city's image, and position it as an Asian hub for fashion trade and business development; Knowledge of Design Week (since 2006) -- an annual thematic design knowledge sharing platform that explores how design can solve complex challenges of our society. HKDC website:www.hkdesigncentre.org.

About Create Hong Kong

Create Hong Kong (CreateHK) is a dedicated agency set up by the HKSAR Government in June 2009. It is under the Communications and Creative Industries Branch of the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau and dedicated to spearheading the development of creative industries in Hong Kong. Its strategic foci are nurturing talent and facilitating start-ups, exploring markets, and promoting Hong Kong as Asia's creative capital and fostering a creative atmosphere in the community. CreateHK sponsors HKDC to organise KODW and other projects to promote Hong Kong design. CreateHK's website: www.createhk.gov.hk .This press release has been dispatched by Dynamic Duo PR (DDPR) on behalf of Hong Kong Design Centre.

Disclaimer: The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region provides funding support to the project only, and does not otherwise take part in the project. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in these materials/events (or by members of the project team) are those of the project organizers only and do not reflect the views of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Communications and Creative Industries Branch of the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau, CreateHK, the CreateSmartInitiative Secretariat or the CreateSmartInitiative Vetting Committee.

jobtech

SINGAPORE - Media OutReach - 17 May 2019 - Think you are all set to ride the new wave of technology disruption? Think again!

Shortage of IT professionals as well as the high wages offered have been hitting the headlines in Singapore and other developed countries. However, even IT professionals are not immune to disruption.

Technology skills are constantly changing. Look towards the market for advice.

Digital disruption is not homogenous where only repetitive and mundane tasks will be automated. Digital jobs are also being disrupted. Buried in the day-to-day operations at work, it is easy to miss out on up-and-coming developments that are critical to future-proofing one's careers.

The hottest technology skills are changing at an increasing pace. The same job role now, for instance, a database administrator could involve different tasks, and hence require different skills, than a database administrator three to five years ago.

A relatively newer database, MongoDB has been steadily on the rise since its inception. In recent years, it is gaining popularity in the Singapore market with growth predicted to remain buoyant in the near future. Moreover, its demand is not concentrated on only a few large companies.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1XRIhF9t3VamHNkxzzoHK6wUGlzNKesgu

Since January 2018, there are more than 2,700 jobs posted that require MongoDB and the top 10 companies hiring for this skill only contributed to 21% of these jobs. Demand is relatively scattered throughout other companies rather than a handful of companies.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1HF4APE2AZz2fwSO4oxarnd61x9Z7hCBF

In addition, database administrators are increasingly tasked with data engineering responsibilities such as Extract, Transform and Load, database monitoring and Hypertable. IT professionals will have to constantly adapt to the changing work scopes and new technology stacks in their workplace.

One source IT professionals can derive inspiration from is the general market trends in the economy. As can be seen from the headlines, big data analytics and artificial intelligence has been on the rise. The number of data analytics jobs posted has increased by more than 40% from more than 2,700 in 2017 to close to 4,000 in 2018. To live up to its hype, the foundations has to be laid first and foremost. Consequently, this has exerted an important influence on the responsibilities of database administrators. It is becoming increasingly necessary for them to possess the know-how to maintain data pipelines to fuel downstream tasks such as machine learning and visualizations.

Another important source of information is through labour market insights. Job descriptions are a useful source of gleaning emerging technology skills in demand by employers. For instance, from JobTech's data sources, Redis, an in-memory database for optimising data access, has been experiencing strong growth in the Singapore market. According to JobTech's econometric models, Redis is predicted to continue growing rapidly into the near future.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=14G7j0ISDjrU1iFaLCf6DgMY-otnQ39Km

Soft skills becoming ever more vital

The hottest technologies are constantly changing. This is why nimble learners who are able to learn fast are highly sought after by employers. To deal with the demanding pace of change, learning to learn is essential. There are even online courses on neuroscience techniques to help one learn. However, this is not limited to deep technical skills but also to 'less technical' tasks such as consulting, presales, product management etc.

Other than demonstrating your ability to learn, communication skills are also crucial. It may sound cliché but many still experience inertia putting in the time to hone their communication skills. These skills are not limited to just writing and presentations but also listening skills -- to practice active listening when interacting with clients and team members.

A combinatorial approach to future-proofing oneself

Professionals who can successfully combine their domain knowledge and technical skills across diverse fields will be able to be more resilient in the face of disruption. Bringing a different set of domain knowledge introduces a unique value one might bring to his/her team. By tapping into other domains, it provides one with additional perspectives and create innovation from gaps between different verticals.

For example, an Internet-of-Things (IoT) engineer with knowledge of urban farming technologies would be able to provide digitisation solutions for urban farming management. Agri-tech requires expertise in both fields and requires the engineer to be able to design and develop urban farming products, and lead and manage urban agriculture projects. The engineer who possesses this combination becomes a valuable member of the team making him/her a rarer find compared to his/her other peers.

Similarly, a finance professional who picked up deep skills in data analytics would be better positioned to adapt to the evolving nature of quantitative analyst roles. For instance, an investment analyst has to employ newer machine learning techniques to model and forecast financial instruments and learn to wrangle datasets that are increasingly larger in today's data-rich world.

The idea of a combinatorial approach is that one can improve the value he/she brings to the table not just by acquiring unique and niche technical skills but also through unique combination of domain knowledge and technical skills to result in creative and novel applications.

JobTech Data API

In order to provide real-time access to Online Jobs Census data, JobTech has developed 2 data APIs (Application Programming Interface) for its strategic government and industry partners to acquire up-to-date and structured jobs market data automatically. The 2 APIs will allow users to obtain sectoral data for both the de-duplicated job counts as well as the top skills demanded in real time, from the JobTech database which has more than 50 million data points.

JobTech will continue to provide flash reports covering different sectors in Singapore, with a focus on highly sought-after skills and labor market trends. In this regard, JobTech is using its Big Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence capabilities to provide visibility and analysis of the online jobs market in Singapore to support companies and decision makers there.

For more information on the full version of JobTech Analytics Reports (Quarterly Sector Reports) and Real Time Analytics, please visit http://analytics.jobtech.co/

About JobTech™

JobTech is driven by a desire to change the labour market for the better. We have made it our mission to find the right match between people and jobs more efficiently, and continually build products and solutions that enhance human resource productivity.

We are Singapore's leading Artificial Intelligence and Big Data Analytics start-up that provides optimised job matching tools and real-time labour market intelligence. Our core technology is the result of 10 years of research and development by top machine learning experts and data scientists. This drives our ability to analyse more than 1 million job postings every day, providing complete and accurate visibility of online jobs markets around the world.

We serve a multitude of customers. For employers, we provide candidates that have been vetted for quality and interest. For job seekers, we provide a platform where they can find jobs across thousands of sources. For businesses, financial institutions, the government, recruiters and consultancy firms, we provide information on hiring trends that they use to inform policies and guide business decisions.

salonpas

Based on research by Euromonitor International (UK),*2 a leading global market research company

TOKYO, JAPAN - Media OutReach - 17 May 2019 - Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical Co., Inc. (Head Office: Tosu, Saga; President & COO: NAKATOMI Kazuhide; hereinafter "Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical") announced that Euromonitor International Ltd. (hereinafter "Euromonitor International"), a leading international market research company, recognized "Salonpas_®" as the world's No. 1 OTC topical analgesic patch brand for the third consecutive year since 2016. Euromonitor International presented Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical with two official certificates, one recognizing Salonpas_®'s achievement and one naming Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical as the holder of the world's largest share in the corresponding market category for two years running.

Since its 1847 founding in the Tashiro (then Hizen-Tashiro) area of Tosu, Saga, Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical has worked to provide Japan and the rest of the world with high-quality pharmaceutical products. Always footing its operations in that local foundation and adhering to a consistent, customer-first philosophy, Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical is now in its 172nd year--a testament to a legacy that, like the recent recognition from Euromonitor International, would not have been possible without the valuable, ongoing support of the company's many customers and stakeholders.

May 18 has been registered with the Japan Anniversary Association as "Salonpas_® Day," whose date has linguistic ties to the Japanese phrase "Kori o iyasu" ("relieving stiffness"): "Ko" corresponds to the number 5 ("go"); "i" represents 1; and "ya" stands for 8.

Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical will continue to expand its business operations worldwide, centering its activities on the basic principle of "Delivering a Better QOL to the World."

Certificate presentation

Date: May 17, 2019

Location: Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical Tokyo Head Office

L: Mr. Sean Kreidler, Senior Research Manager, Euromonitor International

R: NAKATOMI Kazuhide, President & COO, Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical

^*1: Research Method

To determine the world's No. 1 OTC topical analgesic patch brand, London-based Euromonitor International conducts a global market research from March to April every year. In the ten countries collectively representing more than 70% of the global topical patch product retail market in 2018 (the United States, Brazil, Russia, Italy, Germany, India, Indonesia, Vietnam, China, and Japan), Euromonitor International conducted trade interviews of manufacturers and wholesalers, visited retail outlets for store checks, and compiled the sales figures of patch products by country and brand to calculate the corresponding sales shares.

^*2: Euromonitor International

Euromonitor International, a British company headquartered in London, is a leader in international market research with exclusive researchers in over 100 countries.