:00:00. > :00:14.expected. Time for the latest business news.
:00:15. > :00:22.As World Cup fever takes hold in Asia, we look at how companies can
:00:23. > :00:26.catch in on the action. And how Indonesia's growing appetite
:00:27. > :00:34.for chocolate is fuelling a new business opportunities.
:00:35. > :00:41.Thank you for joining us for this edition of the Asia Business Report.
:00:42. > :00:46.You could not have missed it. Brazil has kicked off the World Cup in
:00:47. > :00:51.style, winning off the first match against Croatia 3`1. But this is not
:00:52. > :00:56.just about the fans. Football is big business. Companies have paid up to
:00:57. > :01:01.$200 million to associate their brands with what is one of the
:01:02. > :01:08.largest events on the global sporting calendar. FIFA is estimated
:01:09. > :01:20.to make more than $1.4 billion over the cycle. Several companies are
:01:21. > :01:28.signed on up to 2022. What about other businesses? The huge
:01:29. > :01:34.pricetag, the top tier sponsors will pay $1.3 billion just to associate
:01:35. > :01:38.themselves with the event. For a lot of companies, that is out of their
:01:39. > :01:44.price range. What Asian companies are trying to make money and the
:01:45. > :01:47.sponsor around the World Cup? The smart companies will attach
:01:48. > :01:54.themselves to the events. They are attaching themselves to football.
:01:55. > :01:58.Sony are launching their 3`D TV. Toshiba have a campaign left your
:01:59. > :02:05.home country wins the event, you get a TV free. They are not attached to
:02:06. > :02:13.the World Cup, but they are basking in the glow of football. What about
:02:14. > :02:18.the smaller Asian companies? How are they leveraging themselves around
:02:19. > :02:21.the World Cup? The smaller companies are using the fans to provide the
:02:22. > :02:29.content and the information. They are becoming the conduit. The
:02:30. > :02:37.smaller brands are helping the fans can act. They are producing contact
:02:38. > :02:50.content and material. It is all about the gimmicks. It is about who
:02:51. > :02:56.is the smartest brand. Meanwhile, India's new government
:02:57. > :03:02.starts work with looking at the economic challenges it faces. India
:03:03. > :03:06.spends more than $20 billion on making fuel cheaper for its people.
:03:07. > :03:14.But producing those subsidies is a sensitive issue.
:03:15. > :03:19.You would find a red cylinder like this one in virtually every Indian
:03:20. > :03:25.household. It contains gas that is used for cooking. The government
:03:26. > :03:34.gives every family 12 cylinders each year for $84. Less than half the
:03:35. > :03:41.cost price. But for many, with six mouse to feed at home that is not
:03:42. > :03:45.enough. TRANSLATION: It is not sufficient for my family. If I have
:03:46. > :03:54.to buy gas at the actual price, that is money we can spend on our
:03:55. > :04:00.children's education and health. A change in gas prices affect
:04:01. > :04:04.virtually every person in India. But subsidising the fuel is also a
:04:05. > :04:10.burden on the country's finances. India imports most of the fuel
:04:11. > :04:17.needs. Some of that is also spent on making diesel cheaper. The cost of
:04:18. > :04:21.this fuel has been at the centre of many political debates. During the
:04:22. > :04:27.last coalition, an important ally walked out of government because of
:04:28. > :04:31.a hike of diesel prices. Diesel is used in lorries like these, which
:04:32. > :04:36.transport everything from fruit and vegetables to consumer goods. Making
:04:37. > :04:41.the fuel more expensive means everything ends up costing more. But
:04:42. > :04:53.the new government won the next election with a majority. When you
:04:54. > :04:58.get aggressive towards the subsidy, it becomes unpopular. The government
:04:59. > :05:04.has come up with a mandate that has been given by popular demand.
:05:05. > :05:11.Especially in the context that people aspire to. These motorists
:05:12. > :05:17.will be watching what happens closely. But with high expectations
:05:18. > :05:23.at home to keep prices low and the show from credit ratings agencies to
:05:24. > :05:26.make India financially stable, this is a delicate balance the new
:05:27. > :05:30.government has to strike early in its time in power.
:05:31. > :05:38.In other business News making headlines, has the is opening up its
:05:39. > :05:44.patents for others to use. The firm's chief executive says the move
:05:45. > :05:46.is aimed at speeding up the development of electric cars. The
:05:47. > :05:54.firm sold just under 23,000 of the units last year. Expedia has become
:05:55. > :06:03.the latest company to accept bitcoin is as payment. It is restricting the
:06:04. > :06:08.trial to its US website. Water may be a scarce resource in many places,
:06:09. > :06:19.but it can also be crucial for businesses. Like Coca`Cola. We spoke
:06:20. > :06:25.to the director of the world switch programme run by Coke. There are
:06:26. > :06:30.certain times and places, take the midwest of the United States, take
:06:31. > :06:36.Northwest India, the north of China, water supplies are limited.
:06:37. > :06:44.That is being exacerbated by overuse. The amount of water that is
:06:45. > :06:50.replenished naturally, through rain, snow, ice, can not keep up with the
:06:51. > :06:56.amount of water being used by civilisation. Has water become the
:06:57. > :07:04.oil of the 21st`century? The comparisons to oil suggest a level
:07:05. > :07:10.of scarcity. And competition. While that is true in certain times and
:07:11. > :07:15.places, you can face water stresses from scarcity to quality, the amount
:07:16. > :07:20.of water on Earth is fixed. It is a finite resources. You cannot create
:07:21. > :07:25.or destroy it. It is renewable. Unlike fossil fuels. What's more is
:07:26. > :07:29.Coca`Cola going to do to respond to criticism that it is using up
:07:30. > :07:36.valuable resources in water stressed areas? The programmes, the partners
:07:37. > :07:45.and the progress we have made over the last ten years has shown an
:07:46. > :07:49.evolution immaturity of the understanding and response. It does
:07:50. > :07:54.not then we are done. The 500 projects we have with partners in
:07:55. > :07:57.3000 communities around the world, the investments we have made, it is
:07:58. > :08:05.the beginning. Water is always going to be required. There is always
:08:06. > :08:09.going to be something to do. With rising incomes, Indonesians
:08:10. > :08:14.have required a taste for chocolate. `` acquired. You would be hard
:08:15. > :08:22.pressed to find any good`quality chocolates made in the country.
:08:23. > :08:26.We find out how businesses are seeing opportunities for a
:08:27. > :08:30.home`grown market. Nobody would call these in
:08:31. > :08:37.Indonesian delicacy. Chocolates in Indonesia used to content more on
:08:38. > :08:43.milk and sugar and cocoa. `` than sugar and cocoa. But there is a
:08:44. > :08:46.growing appetite. The owners began selling chocolate 13 years ago. They
:08:47. > :08:52.started the business from home. But it has grown to 13 outlets. They use
:08:53. > :09:01.cocoa powder and butter from Belgium. We want to maintain our
:09:02. > :09:09.quality and it does not mean we are not trusting the quality of
:09:10. > :09:16.Indonesia, but we can export to another country. Some of the best
:09:17. > :09:21.cocoa beans actually come from right here in Indonesia. Like those grown
:09:22. > :09:26.by villagers on this island. This is where a lot of the cocoa beans come
:09:27. > :09:30.from. There is a variety of trees here. But these farmers make most of
:09:31. > :09:36.their money from cocoa. These beans and up on some of the best chocolate
:09:37. > :09:42.in Europe, not Indonesia. But things may be changing. An American food
:09:43. > :09:47.processing company has been sourcing cocoa beans from Indonesia for
:09:48. > :09:52.nearly 20 years. Now it is investing in a $100 million cocoa processing
:09:53. > :09:57.plant in Indonesia. Given the rapid growth of cocoa consumption in
:09:58. > :10:03.Indonesia and Asia and the fact that Indonesia is the third largest
:10:04. > :10:09.producing company in the world, the next step for the region would be a
:10:10. > :10:13.cocoa processing plant. Harvest time. The mood is jubilant.
:10:14. > :10:20.Good`quality cocoa has nearly doubled these villagers' income.
:10:21. > :10:27.There is hope for an even better future.
:10:28. > :10:31.All Asian stock markets are declining at this tour due to
:10:32. > :10:33.violence in Iraq and lack of economic news in the US. Thank you
:10:34. > :10:49.for joining us. Here are the headlines: President
:10:50. > :10:51.Obama says he is looking at all options to help the Iraqi government
:10:52. > :10:52.counter the Islamist