Category Archives: Business & Economy

It’s raining milk on APDDCF

Amazing Feats, Business & Economy, Science & Technology

PROBLEM OF PLENTY: Extra milk powder will be used in the programme where cooked food is supplied to pregnant and lactating mothers.  / File photo / The Hindu .

The Federation is left with an extra 1.70 lakh litres of milk per day

Usually there are problems with shortages. But in the case of A.P. Dairy Development Cooperative Federation (APDDCF) the opposite is true. It is faced with the unique problem of glut of milk so much so that it doesn’t know where to store all the milk that is coming its way.

Everyday the Federation is left with an extra 1.70 lakh litres to handle which it simply can’t. Therefore, it is toying with the idea of declaring a ‘milk holiday’ once in a fortnight.

The idea is not to procure milk two days in a month so as to take care of storage problem and also the rising cost of procurement. The proposal will be placed before the APDDCF board to get its nod. The last time the Federation declared a milk holiday was in 1993.

The APDDCF has been flooded with surplus milk from September onwards. The per day procurement shot up from 3.90 lakh litres in August to 4.69 lakh litres in September. It touched 5.27 lakh litres in October and 5.93 lakh litres in November. In December, milk procurement is projected to be 6.29 lakh litres.

Faced with this unusual phenomenon, the Federation has started converting the excess milk into skimmed milk powder (SMP).

“We are doing all this only to not inconvenience farmers,” says Mohammed Ali Rafath, managing director and vice chairman, APDDCF.

Unlike private diaries, the APDDCF is procuring milk beyond its requirement to help the farmers. Its factory has a capacity to handle only 4 lakh litres a day, including 30,000 litres of by-products such as flavoured milk, butter, khova, lassi.

In the last few months it has been getting an extra 1.70 lakh litres milk per day. Of this, 1.02 lakh litres is buffalo milk and the rest cow. To procure this excess milk, it has to shell out Rs.41 lakh per day.

To tide over the problem, the APDDCF has started converting the milk into powder and now it has a stock of 1,000 metric tonnes of butter and 800 metric tonnes of skimmed milk powder. To clear this stockpile, the Federation has asked the Women Development and Child Welfare Department to use its powder milk in its programme of supplying cooked food to pregnant and lactating mothers.

“This way we hope to supply 100 tonnes of skimmed milk powder per month”, says Mr. Rafath.

The excess milk production is the result of milch animal induction programme wherein the government provides 25 per cent subsidy on purchase of cattle and also reimburses transport charges.

Another factor is the vigorous artificial insemination programme taken up by the Animal Husbandry Department.

Why can’t the APDDCF push up its sales? It cannot because there are no takers for its Vijay brand of milk. While Hyderabad has a liquid milk market of 12 lakh litres a day, APDDCF accounts for just 3.60 lakh litres a day.

Now the APDDCF is planning to develop forward linkages by strengthening its district market where the sales are very dismal.

source: http://www.TheHindu.com / Home> News> Cities> Hyderabad / by J. S. Ifthekhar / November 21st, 2012

Hyderabad: Pearls from China dominate pearl market

Business & Economy, World Opinion

Hyderabad:

Much like the market of decorative items, toys and a lot of other goods in India, the pearl market of Hyderabad is now dominated by China. Shop owners in the city say China has overtaken other countries from where pearls are being imported. Hyderabad is known as the “city of pearls”. But the irony of its pearl story is that the city is nearly 300 km away from the ocean!

The pearls that give the city its moniker are all sourced from outside. After being imported, they are drilled in different parts of the state. In Chandanpet, just outside Hyderabad, for instance, almost the entire population is engaged in the delicate art of pearl drilling. Once they are drilled, the pearls are bleached, washed and separated in accordance with their shape and size.

Vijay Dochania, manager at the Amarsons Pearls jewellery shop, said though pearls are sourced from several countries, China dominates all. “Pearls from China have been coming here for more than 100 years now, but today they dominate the market. They are available in different price ranges, depending on their shape, size, sheen and lustre,” Dochania told IANS.

China has been the world’s biggest pearl producer for two decades, flooding the world market with small and cheap pearls of costume-jewellery quality. The pearl farming industry there is now using new techniques to push into the lower reaches of the market. Freshwater pearl farms in east-central China are reported to be producing white pearls that cost a fraction of the saltwater variety.

It was the patronage of the Nizams for pearls that attracted Arab traders from the Gulf to Hyderabad, which was also known for its diamonds — the latest being a diamond from Golconda that fetched a record price at Christie’s auction. “Long time back, pearls from Ceylon (Sri Lanka) were imported. Basra pearls which come from the Gulf countries were also very popular at one time since they are of very fine quality. You will still find them in the market today, but rarely so,” Dochania said.

Jai Prakash, another jewellery shop owner in the city, said pearls are also imported from Japan, Tahiti, Indonesia, Australia and Venezuela. South Sea pearls, which are sourced from the South China Sea, are also readily available and fall in the expensive range because of their large size and sheen. Tahitian pearls cost more than others.

“There are three kinds of pearls – natural, cultured and semi-cultured or man-made. Natural pearls come from places like Tuticorin (India) and Venezuela. Basra (Iraq) pearls are also natural pearls. Cultured pearls mostly come from Japan and China. When Japan was struck by the tsunami, the pearl trade here was affected to some extent. In any case, they come more from China than Japan,” he said. The Majorica pearl is a man-made pearl from Spain.

The city’s pearl trade is worth around Rs 500 crore annually. “Almost 40 percent of our sales are attributed to tourists. People are mostly not too bothered about where the pearl has come from, they are more concerned about the quality of the pearl, its shape, its colour,” said Naresh Agarwal of Mangatrai Pearls.

Visiting Hyderabad on work, 42-year-old Shalini Singh said the only concern that she has while shopping for pearls is their quality. “I bought a set of necklace and earrings of South Sea pearls from a reputable shop, so I am assured of the quality. I also bought a whole lot of pearl earrings, which, the shop owner mentioned, were China pearls. They look good and the price fits my budget, so I am happy,” Singh said.

Victoria Humphrey, a British tourist, however, found it surprising that the pearls that Hyderabad is so famous for are all imported. “I asked a shopkeeper what was so typically Hyderabad about the pearls here, and he replied quite honestly that they were mostly from China! I appreciated his honesty but I had bought my share of Chinese pearls when I was in Beijing; so I did not buy here,” Humphrey told IANS.

source: http://www.ibnlive.in.com / Home> South> Andhra Pradesh / Pradesh /  IANS / November 20th, 2012

Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport Receives Carbon Accreditation

Business & Economy, Green Initiatives / Environment, Science & Technology, World Opinion

Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA), Hyderabad, has received Airport Carbon Accreditation at Level 2 –‘Reduction’ for its efforts in managing and reducing carbon emissions.

The Airport Carbon Accreditation certification was presented to RGIA on 8 November during the 8th ACI Asia-Pacific Small Airports Seminar organized by ACI Asia-Pacific and hosted by GMR Hyderabad International Airports Ltd (GHIAL).

Mr. Vikram Jaisinghani, CEO of GHIAL, operator of RGIA, said, “This accreditation is a significant milestone in the advancement of airport’s overall sustainability strategy as it involved calculating the carbon footprint of RGIA, using internationally recognised methodology and independent verification. RGIA has compiled an independently verified carbon footprint and succeeded in reducing their overall emissions and carbon footprint over the past number of years.”

On the same occasion, Mr. P.S. Nair, CEO-Corporate, Airport Sector of GMR Airports Limited was also presented with the Airport Carbon Accreditation certificate for Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, another GMR-led airport in India, which was accredited at Level 2 – ‘Reduction’ in July this year.

Regional Director of ACI Asia-Pacific, Mrs. Patti Chau said, “It was this month last year that Airport Carbon Accreditation was introduced in Asia Pacific and I am indeed very pleased to see that 6 airports in the region have been accredited and 3 are even accredited at Level 2 – ‘Reduction’, including RGIA.”

Airport Carbon Accreditation is the institutionally endorsed program that independently assesses and recognises airports’ efforts to manage and reduce their CO2 emissions.

Participating airports can be certified at 4 progressive levels of accreditation as follows: ‘Mapping’, ‘Reduction’, ‘Optimisation’, and ‘Neutrality’.

First launched by ACI Europe in 2009, the programme received support from ICAO and was extended to the Asia Pacific region in November 2011.

Airport Carbon Accreditation is administered by WSP Environment & Energy, an international consultancy appointed to enforce the accreditation criteria for airports. The administration of the programme is overseen by an independent Advisory Board.

Airports must have carbon footprints independently verified in accordance with ISO14064 (Greenhouse Gas Accounting). Evidence of this must be provided to the administrator together with all claims regarding carbon management processes which must also be independently verified.

source: http://www.asiatraveltips.com / Home / Monday, November 12th, 2012

ICCA elects new india committee leadership

Business & Economy

ASIA

The International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) has announced the appointment of newly elected leaders of the association’s India Committee.

The new India Committee will be chaired by Jaideep Khanna, GM Sales Marketing & Distribution, Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC).

Also appointed to the committee were Kalpana Oberoi, GM of Kuoni Destination Management India as Secretary and Girish Kwatra, Head, Meetings & More India as Treasurer.

The newly elected leaders will work closely with the rest of ICCA’s members in India to enhance the effectiveness of India’s bidding process with regard to international events and associations.

The India Committee said it was determined to increase India’s share of the international association meetings market by stimulating every Indian ICCA member to make effective use of the ICCA Association Database, marketing resources, research tools and face-to-face client business opportunities.

Jaideep Khanna said he was confident that “with ICCA, we will deliver instant access to a range of research, sales and marketing opportunities to our Indian members. We will create a synergised approach and a platform for knowledge sharing and networking opportunities. This will open better communication channels to enhance value and generate competitive advantage”.

HICC had already gained tremendously from its active involvement with ICCA, he said, “especially after we hosted the ICCA Congress in our city in 2010”.

Recent converted leads generated from research done on ICCA database,  he said, included the IEEE Multi-Conference on Systems & Control – MSC 2013 and the 9th Asia Pacific Symposium on Cochlear Implants and Related Sciences – APSCI 2013.

Kalpana Oberoi noted Kuoni has been appointed for the World Agricultural Forum 2013 to be held in Hyderabad in November 2013, “a lead picked up from the ICCA Database”.

source: http://www.c-mw.net / Home / November 09th, 2012

Patel Engineering charts Rs 75-crore realty plan for Hyderabad

Business & Economy

Will develop two township projects in Hyderabad

Patel Engineering Limited, a Mumbai-based construction company specialising in hydro-power generation and irrigation, will be investing Rs 75 crore to develop two township projects in Hyderabad.

The publicly-listed company, through its wholly-owned real estate development subsidiary Patel Realty India Limited (PRIL), is planning to develop a 400-unit residential apartments project christened Smondo (Smart Condominiums) on a four-acre land with an investment of Rs 15 crore (excluding land cost), and a 1,000-apartment, yet-to-be-named project on 10-acre land at an outlay of Rs 60 crore (excluding land cost) in Hyderabad.

“Targeting the young working population in Hyderabad, especially IT professional, we are planning to start construction work on the first project in January 2013 and complete it in two years from then. Work on the second project will commence in June next year and will be ready for occupation in three to four years,” PRIL managing director, Pravin Malkani, told Business Standard.

Stating that the Hyderabad property market is buoyant and there exists a great demand for quality housing despite the political uncertainty (Telangana), he said there was a clear gap in the market in terms of available formats of houses in relation to purchasing capacity and need for space.

“Buyers in Hyderabad are becoming aesthetically aware and more cosmopolitan and this attribute plays a crucial role in their selection of homes (2 BHK, 2.5 BHK and 3 BHK formats) for purchase,” Malkani said.

Patel Engineering, which reported revenues of Rs 2,549.64 crore in FY 12, currently has a total land bank of over 1,250 acre across India, including 400 acre of urban land in and around Hyderabad.

The company also has under its development portfolio three more integrated townships projects in Bangalore, Noida and Mauritius, together entailing an investment of around Rs 400 crore.

According to Malkani, while the 120-acre Neotown Bangalore project comprising 2,000 apartments is under construction, which will be ready for delivery in six to eight years, the 35-acre Noida project (3,000 units) and the 65-acre Mauritius project are expected to be completed in the next four to six years.

Patel Engineering Limited’s scrip is currently trading at Rs 77.60 on the BSE, down 0.83%, over the previous close of Rs 78.25 a share.

source: http://www.Business-Standard.com / Home> Companies & Industry / by K. Rajani Kanth, Hyderabad / November 09th, 2012

WFA Global invests in Hyderabad-based personal financial services start-up

Business & Economy

Hyderabad:

ArthaYantra, a Hyderabad-based integrated personal financial services start-up, on Tuesday said it has raised seed capital from US-based investment firm WFA Global Investments. However it did not disclose either the quantum of funds raised or the stake picked up by the US firm.

The company, which has been founded by a group of ISB Hyderabad alumni, uses its its unique proprietary framework, trademarked as Personal Financial Lifecycle Management  (PFLM), and employs patented processes that help individuals achieve their financial goals.

The company plans to further develop its proprietary technology and also expand its team that currently stands at over two dozen people. The company also plans to expand operations across six major cities of Hyderabad, Bangalore, Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai and Pune.

According to the company, it was focused on launching its new solutions and was currently engaged in increasing its financial research capabilities by building systems and processes based on existing patents that it holds and is now piloting its innovative personal finance solution in beta with select group of customers. ArthaYantra’s clientele includes individuals from India, US, Europe and Middle East.

Commenting on the development, Artha Yantra founder and CEO Nitin B Vyakaranam said that the current round of investment was a testament to the global appeal that its solutions carry. “In India, we plan to take personal financial services to a greater cross-section of the population by coming out with unique and thought provoking services. We believe that a vast majority of India’s middle income population does not have access to formal personal financial services, and our solutions would fill this gap.”

New York-based  WFA Global Investments managing director Dr Ravi Bhagavatula said: “With the backbone of patented and scalable personal finance solutions along with its disruptive business model, ArthaYantra has the potential to achieve global scale. The Indian market has a promising ‘middle of pyramid’ opportunity and ArthaYantra could prove to be a game changer in the personal finance industry.”

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> Business> India Business/ by Swati Bharadwaj Chand / November 06th, 2012

Food business attracts Old Hyderabad youth

Business & Economy

Hyderabad:

The food bug has bitten Old City’s youth. With Hyderabadi food gaining prominence, several youngsters are opting for careers in hotel management, particularly in food production (cooking) sector. And catering to this demand are the several hotel management institutes that have cropped up across the city in the past few years.

The Centre’s Institute of  Hotel Management (IHM) has been conducting four short term courses lasting between six and eight weeks, branded “Hunar Se Rozgar Tak (from skill to employment). According to the institute’s management more than 30 per cent of its participants are from the Old City. The demand is the highest for food production where more than two thirds are from this part of the city. Interestingly, one third of the candidates are women.

Most students who attend short term courses in the several institutes in the city have completed only matriculation. Some have not finished schooling as well. Explaining the penchant for culinary arts among Hyderabadis, noted educationist Zafar Javeed said that it is the availability of opportunities in the hospitality sector that is drawing many youngsters today. “Hyderabadi food, the Biryani and in recent past the Haleem, have gained immense popularity in and around the city which in turn has resulted to the mushrooming of several restaurants. The demand for cooks has thus increased. Being good at skill based tasks, youngsters from the minority community are making use of these opportunities,” he said.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> City> Hyderabad / TNN / November 05th, 2012

ISB to host digital summit

Business & Economy, Education, Science & Technology
Hyderabad, NOV. 1:

The Indian School of Business (ISB) is hosting a digital summit at its Hyderabad campus from November 9-12.

The summit Advertising strategies for online retailers is being organised by the Srini Raju Centre for IT and the Networked Economy at the ISB in association with Jigserv, a digital marketing company founded by an ISB alumnus.

The conference will bring together academics, business leaders, marketers and digital media industry practitioners to discuss the new paradigms in digital marketing, and how it will impact businesses.

Some of the prominent speakers include: Ajit Balakrishnan, Founder and CEO, Rediff.com, Arun Sundarajan, of Stern School of Business, New York University, Hari Krishnan, Country Manager, LinkedIn India, Rajan Anandan, Managing Director, Google India; Vikramaditya Sharma, Director, Nielsen Online, India and Virginia Sharma, Vice-President Marketing, IBM India / South Asia.

The summit will discuss and debate current trends in digital media, recent innovations, new biz models and effective ways of leveraging the medium for both large and mid-sized companies, across various verticals, a press release said.

somasekhar.m@thehindu.co.in

source: http://www.TheHinduBusinessLine.com / Home> Industry & Economy> Marketing / by The Hindu’s Bureau / November 01st, 2012

 

Hyderabad to host 1st Edition of IMTCA 2012 on Nov 2 &3

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy, Science & Technology

Taking Indian Healthcare to the next highest level on the global radar, Hyderabad is all set to host the 1st edition of the Indian Medical Tourism Conference scheduled to be held on November 2 and 3, 2012 at HICC.

The two day event is being organized by i-Transition Worldwide (I) Pvt. Limited and ONE HealthCare Worldwide, USA with the  supported by FAPCCI (Federation of Andhra Pradesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry).

The conference is expected to receive International participation from eight countries including US, UK, France, Turkey, Thailand, Philippines, Dubai and Fiji. Local dignitaries from the government and NGOs, director of Nizams Institute of Medical Sciences and several other eminent doctors, medical professionals and entrepreneurs are expected to take part in the mega event.

High level delegation from Ministry of Healthcare and Tourism department and other important attendees from IT and insurance companies are also expected. International speakers like Josef Woodman, Dr David G Vequist IV, Dr Michael Guiry, Prof. Brent McCallum, etc. have been called to conduct the sessions. The two day conference will largely cover sessions on topics that would cater to ‘Global Healthcare’ and focus on ‘Positioning Hyderabad as medical tourism hub in India’.

Eminent medical professionals from across the world and prominent speakers who would give presentations and hold interactive sessions include Armando F Palanco, president of Trans-national Advisors, Prof. Brent McCallum, Asst. Professor, Zayed University, Dr David G Vequist IV, founder & director, Centre for Medical Tourism Research, Dr Michael Guiry, senior fellow at the Centre for Medical Tourism Research, Dr Guru N Reddy, founder & chairman of Continental Hospitals, Dr Marcia C Inhorn Jr. Professor at Yale University, Dr K S Nayak, chief nephrologist and director of Department of Renal Sciences, Dialysis Centres and Renal Transplant Programme, Josef Woodman, director at Patient Beyond Borders and M V Rajeshwara Rao, general secretary of FAPCCI.

Sharing her views, Varsha Lafargue, founder and chairperson, IMTCA and i-Transition Worldwide said, “India has a wide scope to develop medical tourism, with this conference we would like to provide a common platform to all the Healthcare – Tourism industry professionals to exchange and know the best practices from across the world and position Indian healthcare to raise it’s standard to command a larger revenue share of this multi -billion dollar industry. It will also be a good opportunity for the local entrepreneurs to showcase their strengths to the global market, explore new opportunities to increase market share through an organized medical tourism system like IMTCA.”

Medical Tourism has been the driving force for exponential growth in many countries. This conference is an initiative dedicated to drive economic growth in India through medical tourism and to map India as one of the “best value provider” medical tourism destination of the world.

source: http://www.pharmabiz.com / Home> Events / Thursday, November 01st, 2012

Dasara shopping brings back buzz in markets

Arts, Culture & Entertainment, Business & Economy

Hyderabad:

Festive fervour gripped the city on Tuesday as denizens thronged marketplaces to purchase various items required for puja on Dasara. Shop owners at major market areas in the city including Begum Bazaar and Monda market reported sales increasing to three times the normal figures.

This year, lanes and bylanes in many localities and even city arterial roads had vendors selling marigolds, the piles of yellow and orange flowers setting the perfect festive mood for the season. The lanes of Begum Bazaar and Monda market were buzzing with activity all through Tuesday.

At least 500 vendors selling flowers and other puja items lined the streets of Monda market on both sides while the narrow lanes of Begum Bazaar were crowded to the brim. Y Rajashekhar, a shop owner at Monda market said, “Sales on the day before Dasara are three times more than the average sales on a regular day. From Monday itself the crowds started increasing and by Tuesday night, around 10,000 people would have visited the market.” Fruit vendors too reported sales going up by no less than 100% on Tuesday. Smaller markets in localities across the city too were busy through the day, allowing denizens to purchase the necessary items from nearby, saving them a trip to the bigger markets.

Textile and readymade garment traders said that sales during this time were double the sales on other days with business this year being at least 20% more than Dasara last year. The festive boom was evident at sweet shops in the city with denizens purchasing sweets in bulk for distribution.  M Nagarjuna of  Almond House said, “Sales have gone up by at least 10% this season and the special festive gift box with an assortment of 12 varieties of sweets is the fastest moving item. Apart from over the counter sales, many companies have also placed bulk orders for distributing them among employees.”

At Dadu’s Mithai Vatika sales have nearly doubled as vendors said that around five tonnes of sweets were already sold in the past few days’ adding that sales were up by 20% when compared to last year. With Ayudha Puja falling on Tuesday, vehicles on streets were decorated with flowers.

On Dasara, denizens worship goddess Durga and spend the day visiting temples and with family while feasting on traditional delicacies.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / Home> City> Hyderabad / TNN / October 24th, 2012