:00:00. > :00:00.and positive news for savers. Now on BBC News, all the latest
:00:00. > :00:16.business news live from Singapore. As World Cup fever takes hold in
:00:17. > :00:20.Asia, we look at how companies can cash in on the action.
:00:21. > :00:27.And how Indonesia's growing appetite for chocolate is fuelling a new
:00:28. > :00:33.business opportunities. `` fuelling new.
:00:34. > :00:41.Thank you for joining us for this edition of Asia Business Report. I'm
:00:42. > :00:46.Rico Hizon. You could not have missed it. Brazil has kicked off the
:00:47. > :00:49.World Cup in style, winning off the first match against Croatia 3`1. But
:00:50. > :00:54.this is not just about the fans. Football is big business. Companies
:00:55. > :00:57.have paid up to $200 million to associate their brands with what is
:00:58. > :01:12.one of the largest events on the global sporting calendar. As a
:01:13. > :01:16.result, FIFA is estimated to make more than $1.4 billion over a
:01:17. > :01:26.four`year World Cup cycle. Adidas has signed up until 2030. What about
:01:27. > :01:32.other businesses? We look at why there are no big Asian brands. The
:01:33. > :01:35.huge pricetag. The top tier sponsors will pay $1.3 billion just to
:01:36. > :01:41.associate themselves with the event. For a lot of companies, that is out
:01:42. > :01:44.of their price range. What big Asian companies are trying to make money
:01:45. > :01:50.and the sponsor around the World Cup? The smart companies will attach
:01:51. > :01:54.themselves to the event, not the World Cup. They are attaching
:01:55. > :02:04.themselves to football. Sony are launching their 3D TV. Toshiba have
:02:05. > :02:07.a campaign, if your home country wins the event, you get a TV free.
:02:08. > :02:11.They are not attached to the World Cup, but they are basking in the
:02:12. > :02:13.glow of football. You have this halo effect. What about the smaller Asian
:02:14. > :02:21.companies? How are they leveraging themselves around the World Cup? Are
:02:22. > :02:23.they using social media? The smaller companies are using the fans to
:02:24. > :02:27.provide the content and the information. They are becoming the
:02:28. > :02:36.conduit. The big brands talk to the fans. The smaller brands are helping
:02:37. > :02:41.the fans connect with each other. They are producing contact content
:02:42. > :02:49.and material. It is all about the gimmicks? It is about who is the
:02:50. > :02:59.smartest brand. Who can connect to what consumers and fans believe.
:03:00. > :03:02.As India's new government starts work, we've been looking at the
:03:03. > :03:05.economic challenges it faces. India spends more than $20 billion on
:03:06. > :03:10.making fuel cheaper for its people. But producing those subsidies is a
:03:11. > :03:13.sensitive issue. You would find a red cylinder like
:03:14. > :03:20.this one in virtually every Indian household. It contains gas that is
:03:21. > :03:25.used for cooking. The government gives every family 12 cylinders each
:03:26. > :03:35.year for $84. Less than half the cost price. But, for many, with six
:03:36. > :03:44.mouths to feed at home that is not enough. TRANSLATION: One a month
:03:45. > :03:48.isn't sufficient for my family. If I have to buy gas at the actual price,
:03:49. > :03:56.that is money we can spend on our children's education and health. As
:03:57. > :04:00.it is, our incomes aren't high. A change in gas prices effects
:04:01. > :04:02.virtually every person in India. But subsidising the fuel is also a
:04:03. > :04:12.burden on the country's finances. Because India imports most of the
:04:13. > :04:16.fuel needs. `` its fuel needs. A chunk of that is spent on making
:04:17. > :04:26.diesel cheaper. The cost of this fuel has been at the centre of many
:04:27. > :04:29.political debates. During the tenure of the last coalition, an important
:04:30. > :04:32.ally walked out of government because of a hike in diesel prices.
:04:33. > :04:34.Diesel is used in lorries like these, which transport everything
:04:35. > :04:39.from fruit and vegetables to consumer goods. So, making the fuel
:04:40. > :04:45.more expensive means everything ends up costing more. But the new
:04:46. > :04:54.government won the recent election with a majority. Will they be
:04:55. > :04:57.stronger on fuel prices? When you get aggressive towards reducing the
:04:58. > :05:00.subsidy, it becomes unpopular. The government has come up with a
:05:01. > :05:08.mandate that has been given by popular demand. Especially in the
:05:09. > :05:11.context that people aspire to. That is government should reduce the cost
:05:12. > :05:20.of living and inflation. These motorists will be watching what
:05:21. > :05:23.happens closely. But with high expectations at home to keep prices
:05:24. > :05:26.low and pressure from credit ratings agencies to make India financially
:05:27. > :05:33.stable, this is a delicate balance the new government has to strike
:05:34. > :05:37.early in its time in power. Tesla's Chief Executive says that
:05:38. > :05:42.are moving to speed up the development of electric cars. The
:05:43. > :05:52.firm sold just under 23,000 of its new model last year.
:05:53. > :05:55.Expedia has become the latest company to accept bitcoins as
:05:56. > :05:59.payment. It is restricting the trial to its US website.
:06:00. > :06:04.Water may be a scarce resource in many places, but it can also be
:06:05. > :06:25.crucial for businesses. Like Coca`Cola. We spoke to the director
:06:26. > :06:28.of its water switch programme. There are certain times and places, take
:06:29. > :06:31.the midwest of the United States, take northwest India, the north of
:06:32. > :06:42.China, water supplies are limited. That's being exacerbated by overuse.
:06:43. > :06:45.The amount of water that is replenished naturally, through rain,
:06:46. > :06:47.snow, ice, can't keep up with the amount of water being used by
:06:48. > :06:50.civilisation. Has water become the oil of the 21st`century? The
:06:51. > :07:06.comparisons to oil suggest a level of scarcity. And competition. While
:07:07. > :07:09.that is true in certain times and places, you can face water stresses
:07:10. > :07:13.from scarcity to quality, the amount of water on earth is fixed. It is a
:07:14. > :07:24.finite resources. You can't create or destroy it. It is renewable.
:07:25. > :07:27.Unlike fossil fuels, oil, coal. What's more is Coke going to do to
:07:28. > :07:34.respond to criticism that it is using up valuable resources in water
:07:35. > :07:37.stressed areas? The programmes, the partners and the progress we have
:07:38. > :07:46.made over the last ten years has shown an evolution. A maturity in
:07:47. > :07:54.the understanding of water issues and our response. It does not mean
:07:55. > :07:57.we're done. The 500 projects we have with partners in 3000 communities
:07:58. > :08:00.around the world, the investments we have made, it is the beginning.
:08:01. > :08:05.Water is always going to be required. There is always going to
:08:06. > :08:08.be something to do. With rising incomes, Indonesians
:08:09. > :08:11.have aquired a taste for chocolate. You would be hard pressed to find
:08:12. > :08:22.any good`quality chocolates made in the country.
:08:23. > :08:32.Nobody would call these an Indonesian delicacy. Chocolates in
:08:33. > :08:36.Indonesia used to contain more on milk and sugar than cocoa. But there
:08:37. > :08:39.is a growing appetite. The owners began selling chocolate 13 years
:08:40. > :08:42.ago. They started the business from home. But it has grown to 13
:08:43. > :08:59.outlets. They use cocoa powder and butter from Belgium. We want to
:09:00. > :09:02.maintain our quality. It doesn't mean we don't trust the quality of
:09:03. > :09:07.Indonesian chocolate. But we can export to another country. Some of
:09:08. > :09:11.the best cocoa beans actually come from right here in Indonesia. Like
:09:12. > :09:15.those grown by villagers on this island. This is where a lot of the
:09:16. > :09:18.cocoa beans come from. There is a variety of trees here. But these
:09:19. > :09:27.farmers make most of their money from cocoa. These beans end up in
:09:28. > :09:30.some of the best chocolates in Europe, not Indonesia. But things
:09:31. > :09:32.may be changing. An American food processing company has been sourcing
:09:33. > :09:38.cocoa beans from Indonesia for nearly 20 years. Now it's investing
:09:39. > :09:47.in a $100 million cocoa processing plant in Indonesia. Its first in
:09:48. > :09:50.Asia. Given the rapid growth of cocoa consumption in Indonesia and
:09:51. > :09:54.Asia, and the fact that Indonesia is the third largest producing company
:09:55. > :09:57.in the world, the next step for the region would be a cocoa processing
:09:58. > :10:04.plant. Harvest time. The mood is jubilant.
:10:05. > :10:12.Good`quality cocoa has nearly doubled these villagers' income. If
:10:13. > :10:17.chocolate making becomes an industry here, there's hope for an even
:10:18. > :10:23.better future. A quick look at the markets. All
:10:24. > :10:30.Asian stock markets are under pressure. Thank you for joining us.
:10:31. > :10:40.The sport is next. I'm Mike Embley. The top stories
:10:41. > :10:43.this hour: President Obama is said to be considering options, including
:10:44. > :10:48.the use of airstrikes, to help the Iraqi government counter the
:10:49. > :10:50.Islamist insurgency. And Brazilians have been celebrating after the host
:10:51. > :10:51.nation won the