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Video Player Close LUSAKA, April 14 (Xinhua) -- Although two-thirds of Zambia's population live in rural areas and depend on agriculture as their mainstay, most of the foods produced go to waste. This is due to lack of markets as well as lack of knowledge on how to preserve the foods. However, a local firm is determined to change the status quo. Apart from promoting the consumption of indigenous foods, the company is determined to promote the indigenous foods to the outside world, including China. The firm believes that indigenous foods have not only high nutrient contents but medicinal values as well despite being frowned upon by people. "Any country that has a very low opinion of local foods is a very poor country. God gave us the local foods because he knows the value they contain and it is therefore important that we start appreciating our indigenous foods," said Sylvia Banda, Managing Director of Sylva Food Solutions, a subsidiary of Sylva Professional Catering, a … [Read more...] about Feature: Zambian firm determined to promote indigenous foods in foreign markets

US President Joe Biden told a meeting with executives from major companies to discuss the global chip shortage on Monday that he has bipartisan support for legislation to fund the semiconductor industry. He will urge Congress to invest $50 billion in semiconductor manufacturing and research as part of his broader focus on rebuilding U.S. manufacturing as a powerhouse for the world's largest economy - and a source of good-paying jobs - after years of declining investments and productivity growth, a senior administration official said. "Today I received a letter from 23 senators, bipartisan and 42 House members, Republican and Democrat, supporting the chips for America program," Biden said at the beginning of the meeting. White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters that no immediate decision or announcement was likely to come from the meeting, which she described as a time for the president "to hear directly from companies about the impacts, what would help the most … [Read more...] about White House zeros in on chip shortage in meeting with company officials

The meeting was chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam, who is also head of the committee. The board asked that favourable conditions continue to be created for the clinical test of COVID-19 vaccines, while plans of production should be put in place in order to quickly produce vaccines once the testing proves successful. Hailing the Health Ministry for its vaccination efforts and dealing with post-vaccination reactions, the board directed the health, public security, and national defence ministries to continue closely controlling immigration pending a policy regarding “vaccine passports”. Many at the meeting reiterated that prevention measures continue to play an important role in the current context. Ministries, agencies, and localities are urged to direct medical stations, schools, lodging facilities, factories, and markets to remain vigilant and seriously follow prevention and control measures. Vietnam reported 16 imported cases of COVID-19 on the evening of the same … [Read more...] about Vietnam striving to quickly produce home-made COVID-19 vaccines

Semiconductor crisis forces top-level action. Source: freepik.com The world’s semiconductor industry sales hit $40 billion for the month of January – a rise of 13.2 per cent on-year, revealed the Semiconductor Industry Association. Now, consumers are having to deal with price hikes and a lack of products from automobiles and videogames to TVs and smartphones as a global shortage in semiconductors grows. The shortage in chips, the so-called “brain” within every electronic device, has been slowly getting worse since last year, according to The Guardian. Temporary delays in supplies as factories shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic caused initial issues. However, although production is somewhat back to normal, surges in the demand driven by new habits stemming from the pandemic is causing the situation to worsen. Mainly, a boom in sales of TVs and computers, the launch of brand new videogame consoles, and arrival of 5G-enabled mobile phones have all driven the demand. … [Read more...] about Semiconductor crisis forces top-level action

The leather-footwear industry is among the key export sectors attracting M&As in recent years (Photo: VNA) HCM City (VNA) - Several of Vietnam’s key export sectors, such as textile-garment, leather-footwear, and electronics have become magnets for merger and acquisition (M&As) activities, posing a risk of leading enterprises in those sectors being purchased by foreign investors. An advantage of Vietnam’s textile-garment industry is low labour costs, and it was also identified as one of six sectors on a list of supporting industry products prioritised for development. The country has become the “footwear factory” of the world, while the domestic market boasts a population of more than 96 million. Vietnam is also establishing itself as the world’s electronic manufacturing hub, with FDI continuing to flow into the sector over recent years. Tran Phuong Lan, an official from the Vietnam Competition and Consumer Authority at the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT), said … [Read more...] about Key export sectors the target of M&As by foreign investors