:00:18. > :00:26.Can the world's bestselling car maker, to go to, beat the global
:00:27. > :00:36.slowdown? -- Toyota. And what is the top of the shopping list for the
:00:37. > :00:41.Lunar New Year? Welcome to Asia Business Report. I am Sharanjit Leyl
:00:42. > :00:47.in Singapore. Toyota reports its latest profit numbers shortly by the
:00:48. > :00:54.industry is facing headwinds from a global slowdown, especially in
:00:55. > :01:02.China. I asked Yoshiaki how this may affect Toyota. The economy sector is
:01:03. > :01:05.a little bit slowed down, yes. But on the other hand, China, the
:01:06. > :01:13.government has released already, for some stimulus demand, the tax
:01:14. > :01:23.incentives, by cutting 50% off, so, that will be some of the growth of
:01:24. > :01:26.the tailwind for the market. Obviously, the dedicated model for
:01:27. > :01:32.the China market and smaller size vehicles are doing great for the
:01:33. > :01:37.moment. It is until the end of this year, while the taxation incentive
:01:38. > :01:46.goes around, it is still... We have also had other fact is, including
:01:47. > :01:54.the weaker yen, which makes Toyota's profits larger from
:01:55. > :02:00.overseas. -- factors. But will it remain the top seller? The stronger
:02:01. > :02:06.market in North America, the booming market, because of the interest rate
:02:07. > :02:19.still being low, and fuel pump prices being loaded, pushing up the
:02:20. > :02:26.demand for Toyota... In other news, shares in Matel, which makes Barbie
:02:27. > :02:30.dolls, jumped 8% after discussions with Hasbro for a merger. They have
:02:31. > :02:39.lost market share to Hasbro over the last two years which makes Lego. And
:02:40. > :02:44.AGL is winding down coal seam gas operations due to commodity prices.
:02:45. > :02:51.Exploration could lead to an environmental catastrophe according
:02:52. > :02:54.to analysts. Indonesia now. The latest growth numbers are out
:02:55. > :02:59.shortly. They are expected to show a modest pickup compared to last year.
:03:00. > :03:06.With the collapse in commodity prices and in China, a key partner,
:03:07. > :03:12.many expect them to be the weakest in six years. I asked Tony Nash how
:03:13. > :03:17.this is likely to affect Indonesia's of. We still see
:03:18. > :03:25.investment coming in from China. -- growth. There is still foreign
:03:26. > :03:31.investment. But, we have seen some of the trade swell, which is usual
:03:32. > :03:36.with the slow of exports and imports with China. You mention foreign
:03:37. > :03:47.investment. Will that still becoming him? We might not be at reflected in
:03:48. > :03:56.these numbers today. -- be coming in. Think about the Jakarta bombing.
:03:57. > :03:59.On some level, people discount that a bit in Indonesia. There is a wider
:04:00. > :04:04.risk expectation in Indonesia. So it may cause people to pause. But I
:04:05. > :04:09.don't think it would cause them to halt investment. The bigger factor
:04:10. > :04:13.would the energy investments and commodity related investments that
:04:14. > :04:18.will slow in the coming year. Scandals around match-fixing were
:04:19. > :04:23.sporting games are manipulated to help people win money have
:04:24. > :04:27.undoubtedly damaged the reputation of cricket in India. -- where. There
:04:28. > :04:32.has been a recommendation to legalise betting on the game to help
:04:33. > :04:37.root out corruption. But it is highly controversial is. We have
:04:38. > :04:46.more from goodbye. -- controversial. It is nearly race time. -- Mumbai.
:04:47. > :04:52.As these courses go to the track activity in the betting hall is
:04:53. > :05:02.picking up as well. -- horses. -- hall. Horse racing is the only sport
:05:03. > :05:05.where betting in India is legal. You will find licensed bookmakers
:05:06. > :05:10.accepting bets from punters. This is an example of how gambling can be
:05:11. > :05:17.legalised across the area. For now, though, with most gambling outlawed,
:05:18. > :05:23.the underground sports betting market is rising. The bold plan the
:05:24. > :05:28.money is better on cricket. Bookmakers tends to take bets from
:05:29. > :05:34.gamblers they know to reduce the risk of getting caught. -- bulk of.
:05:35. > :05:40.They say they would rather be able to gamble under the shadows.
:05:41. > :05:43.TRANSLATION: Were all scared of the police. That is why I have to be
:05:44. > :05:51.careful when placing my bed. -- we're. -- bet. I think gambling
:05:52. > :05:55.should be legalised as so many do should be legalised as so many do
:05:56. > :06:01.it. It may still be India's favoured sport but cricket took a massive hit
:06:02. > :06:07.after a scandal in the Indian League came to light. As games like
:06:08. > :06:11.football gets more popular, interesting betting on them is
:06:12. > :06:16.picking up as well. But for that to be done legally we need Parliament
:06:17. > :06:25.to agree. And that could be a difficult law to pass through. BB
:06:26. > :06:35.is. -- BBC News. We are very close to Lunar New Year. Preparations are
:06:36. > :06:40.under way in much of Asia. One delicacy that is popular is the
:06:41. > :06:49.abalone. We have gone to the largest exporter in China. -- for China in
:06:50. > :06:54.South Africa. Abalone has been harvested for thousands of years in
:06:55. > :06:58.South Africa. As modern demand for the products, especially in Asia,
:06:59. > :07:06.grew, abalone farmers began to appear. Almost all of it is exported
:07:07. > :07:09.to Asia. But with recent economic turbulence, especially in China,
:07:10. > :07:16.producers have had to learn to adapt. Up until 2008 -2009 we could
:07:17. > :07:21.essentially pushed any volume in and it would be absorbed at high prices
:07:22. > :07:26.without any risk to the supply-side. We are now selling more
:07:27. > :07:32.and more of our product to the everyday consumer. We are seeing a
:07:33. > :07:39.bigger demand for smaller sizes. That means we have to adapt. We are
:07:40. > :07:44.meeting those demands. While South Africa accounts for just 3% of the
:07:45. > :07:51.total global production it is the biggest producer of farmed outside
:07:52. > :07:55.of Asia. The demand for abalone has been increasing steadily and that
:07:56. > :08:02.has put significant pressure on the wild population. POLICE SIREN. Get
:08:03. > :08:06.out of the boat. Poaching is a big issue. Not only from a
:08:07. > :08:11.conservationist active but an economic one as well. Experts
:08:12. > :08:16.estimate this could represent a third of total exports. But in spite
:08:17. > :08:23.of this and having to adapt to changes in demand, producers
:08:24. > :08:25.continue to expand here and remain hopeful that the long-standing
:08:26. > :08:32.appetite for abalone will continue to grow. BBC News. It isn't just
:08:33. > :08:37.about the food you have to prepare as head of the Lunar New Year. There
:08:38. > :08:43.is a long list of things you can buy and spend money on. -- ahead. Less
:08:44. > :08:53.see what we have been shopping for. -- Let's. CHINESE MUSIC. It is the
:08:54. > :09:02.biggest event for Chinese families across the world. There is a lot to
:09:03. > :09:06.do, plant, and by, ahead of the Year of the Monkey. And I have come to an
:09:07. > :09:11.account to give you an insight. -- buy. After a big spring cleaning
:09:12. > :09:14.families like to decorate their homes with flowers like these,
:09:15. > :09:19.Cherry Blossoms and even bamboo. They represent longevity. A personal
:09:20. > :09:25.favourite of mine is this. A long and elegant plant with very little
:09:26. > :09:39.Blossoms. They represent the start of spring. -- blossoms. SPEAKING
:09:40. > :09:43.CHINESE. And once the holiday season has started, feasting begins.
:09:44. > :09:50.Families get together to snack on all types of Gbits together. That is
:09:51. > :09:57.why bakeries are busy. -- tid bits. Pineapple tarts and almond cookies.
:09:58. > :10:06.I will get some for myself. And as the saying goes, new year, new
:10:07. > :10:09.start. One of the traditions is to get a brand-new outfit for the year.
:10:10. > :10:20.If it is red and gold, all the better. I will wish our viewers a
:10:21. > :10:22.very happy New Year. I cannot wait for the feasting. Especially
:10:23. > :10:27.pineapple tarts. It will be quite next week on the market. Markets are
:10:28. > :10:32.reacting to the economic news we have from the US which wasn't
:10:33. > :10:37.particularly bright. And sang and China at the moment are very flat
:10:38. > :10:40.and that is it for Asia Business Report at the moment. -- Hang Seng.
:10:41. > :10:53.See you next time.