“There are many ways to describe Dantewada. It’s an oxymoron. It’s a border town smack in the heart of India. It’s the epicentre of a war. It’s an upside down, inside out town. In Dantewada, the police wear plain clothes and the rebels wear uniforms. The jail superintendent is in jail. The prisoners are free (three hundred of them escaped from the old town jail two years ago). Women who have been raped are in police custody. The rapists give speeches in the bazaar.”
Los Angeles, CA – PERI Software, based in New Jersey announced today it has open new offices in the Wells Fargo Tower in the business district of downtown Los Angeles to offer its advanced global business solutions to a high demand market
in Southern California.
“After servicing clients in California and on the West Coast,
we realized it was vital to bring our services closer to a
rapidly growing technology market,” explained President
and CEO Sarav Periasamy, PERI Software. “We have just
opened an office here, because we believe Los Angeles
leads the Pacific Rim in just about every industry and
we want to help business grow to meet the technology
needs of regional and international markets.”
A recent SoCal economic forecast finds that technology,
tourism and international trade will be the leading industries
to the economic recovery. Research reveals that the business
demand for technology products was very weak in the first
three quarters of 2009, when businesses were reducing costs
drastically in order to survive the recession. But, demand
picked up noticeably during the fourth quarter and sales
of technology products held up better on the consumer side.
“PERI delivers technology-based business solutions to help
organizations worldwide control costs and cultivate growth
by drawing on our deep industry expertise,” said Periasamy.
“We help companies facing growing pains by blending a
strategic design, proven technology, and timely delivery
of creative solutions that brings the best returns on IT
investments.”
PERI is a global consulting and technology services
company specializing in industry-specific solutions,
strategic outsourcing and integration services. The
company was founded in 1999, and has grown to more
than 700 employees worldwide. In addition to the new
Los Angeles office, it also has offices in San Jose,
offshore facilities in Chennai, India and the PERI
headquarters in Newark, NJ.
“Technology will be one of the strongest industries
to lead the recovery,” said Periasamy. “PERI is
confident that we can play a vital role in meeting the
technology industry business solutions needs, which is
why we have expanded in Los Angeles.”
Sales of technology products held up better on the consumer
side according to published reports. Purchases of products like
computers, flat TV, and cell phones increased last year despite
the recession and will continue to grow in 2010.
“There’s always demand for the well-designed personal
gadgets like iPods and smart cell phones with media players,
but business is in transition to smart technology products, too,
of which we produce so business can cut costs and get the job
done in less time,” said Periasamy.
“We are constantly hiring software engineers and employees
to meet growing technology demands.”
About PERI
Founded in 1999, PERI is a global business solutions company,
which has grown to more than 700 plus employees and delivers
a high value-cost effective technology based business solutions
along with software and smart-intelligent hardware products.
PERI Draws on deep industry expertise and has a portfolio of
interrelated consulting, business processes and application
development. PERI blends strategic design, proven technology,
and timely delivery of solutions that maximize customers return
on IT investment.
For more about PERI visit: www.PERIsoftware.com
[Editors: For media interviews and images contact
Aida Mayo or George Mc Quade at 818-340-5300
or 818-618-9229 or
email: Publicity@mayocommunications.com.]
Aggregates are useful, because they hide essential things. The Indian economy grew by 6.1% in the past year. Indian agricultural output, on the other hand, has fallen by $7 billion in the same period. The soaring manufacturing growth rate pushes the aggregate high enough to conceal the fall in agricultural output. If we see the tonnes of food produced in India, then starting from the year of 2001-02 till date, there has been an 18% fall in quantity produced PER YEAR. 2001-02 showed food production of 212 million tonnes of food, 2002-03 showed 174.2 million tonnes, and the trend seems to have continued. If you ever make the effort of finding nominal GDP growth rates in agriculture from 2001 to 2009, and the consumer price inflation for each of those years, and then adjust each of those figures for inflation, you will find something interesting. Real growth rare in agriculture has shown a fall of 12% in 2009, a fall of 10% in 2008, a fall of 3.1% in 2007, a fall of 0.4% in 2006, a fall of 2.6% in 2005, a fall of 4.8% in 2004, a rise of 7.4% in 2003, and a fall of 4.5% in 2002. I really hope I have made an error of principle here, because these basic calculations reveal a 27% fall in agricultural output from 2001 to 2009.
Growth is taken for granted, because it tends to be typical in most nations; only concern being whether it is slow or whether it is fast. However, retrogression, instead of growth, is also very common. Retrogression happened in Uganda after Dada Idi Amin threw the Indian industrialists out. Retrogression happened in Argentina which fell from being a First World nation to a Third World nation in the 20th century. Various industries can show retrogression, even if the whole economy does not. Agriculture in Soviet states has shown retrogression, especially in Ukraine, Russia, Moldova, and others – the long lasting effects of central planning policy. Indian agriculture now shows classic retrogression.
Retrogression itself is just a fall in economic activity, but it’s related to aggregates. It still doesn’t reveal how much is being produced per worker, because having more workers for more output doesn’t tell whether each worker is able to produce more. If there is an increase in what is produced per worker, we call that development, which is different from growth. And when the opposite happens, we simply call it backwardness. By and large, agricultural growth has been meager and less significant in total GDP across the past few decades, even with a rising agricultural population. So there is less increase in agricultural production, and more increase in number of agricultural workers.
When we consider these basic facts, we arrive at the chilling conclusion that India’s agriculture has become more and more backward since Independence, and hasn’t merely just been falling in the last decade. The nation’s poverty rate was falling drastically in the 1950s, but doubled across the 1960s and 1970s, before it started falling again in the 1980s thanks to urban migration. These facts should contradict the fact that we have had huge food surpluses and have better fertilisers and seeds after the Green Revolution. And yet here it is. Considering the fall in what is produced per worker, we arrive at the other chilling conclusion that our agriculture has been sent back by more than a hundred years, and is at the level of feudal era agriculture. No doubt that there is no comparison – we grow a far wider range of food grains and commercial crops in this era, but there is less produced per worker and less to be earned per worker.
You can’t avoid the laws of diminishing returns, which is why labour needs to be combined with more capital in order to produce more per worker. But capital is the exact thing lacking in rural India. Foreign investment is not allowed, “exploitative” middlemen are to be prohibited, large land ownership is not allowed, agricultural property rights are severely restricted, and no liberal markets may exist in food grains. The intention of India’s agricultural policy was to liberate enserfed farmers, but the farmers are nothing but serfs now, who are votebanks for policies of price supports and subsidies, while all other agricultural allocation of resources is strictly controlled by government, and still under central planning.
INDIA
According to IBEF (India Brand Equity Foundation), India healthcare industry which comprises hospital and allied sectors, is projected to grow 23 per cent per annum to touch US$ 77 billion by 2012 from the current estimated size of US$ 35 billion.
The sector has registered a growth of 9.3 per cent between 2000-2009, comparable to the sectoral growth rate of other emerging economies such as China, Brazil and Mexico. According to the report, the growth in the sector would be driven by healthcare facilities, both private and public sector, medical diagnostic and pathlabs and the medical insurance sector.
Healthcare facilities, inclusive of public and private hospitals, the core sector, around which the healthcare sector is centred, would continue to contribute over 70 per cent of the total sector and touch a figure of US$ 54.7 billion by 2012.
Adds a FICCI-Ernst and Young report, India needs an investment of US$ 14.4 billion in the healthcare sector by 2025, to increase its bed density to at least two per thousand population.
According to a latest report by McKinsey, driven by strong local demand, Indian healthcare market is expected to continue growing close to previously projected rates of 10 to 12 per cent. With average household consumption expected to increase by more than seven per cent per annum, the annual healthcare expenditure is projected to grow at 10 per cent and also the number of insured is likely to jump from 100 million to 220 million.
India Pharmaceuticals and Healthcare Report Q1 2010
India’s US$14.71bn pharmaceutical market is in a state of transition. As the country’s economy grows, foreign firms are increasing their presence, the government is spending more on healthcare and local firms are looking abroad for new growth opportunities. Through to 2019, BMI is forecasting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.77% for medicine sales in India.
India’s attractiveness to multinational pharmaceutical has increased over the past quarter. The country’s score on BMI’s Pharmaceutical Business Environment Ratings has risen from 48.2 in Q409 to 52.8 in Q110. This has also resulted in India moving up to 9th in the proprietary rankings system. The main driver of this improvement was a re-assessment of both the size and growth of the pharmaceutical market. India’s Pharma rating is just below the regional average (53.2), but above the global average (51.5). Over the medium term, we fully expect India’s ranking to improve significantly.
India’s rural market represents an enormous opportunity for drug-makers and medical device firms. Although anticipated margins are slim, volumes of units sold will be large. In an effort to become the leading pharmaceutical firm in its domestic market, Ranbaxy revealed in December 2009 that it intended to penetrate the challenging rural market. Other companies with a similar strategy include Fortis Healthcare, Novartis, Elder Pharmaceutical and GE Healthcare.
BMI’s Burden of Disease Database (BoDD) reveals that non-communicable diseases – such as diabetes and cancer – have a slightly greater burden in India than non-communicable diseases – such as tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS. In 2008, a total of 99,892,742 diability-adjusted life years (DALYs) were lost to communicable diseases, while 116,772,455 DALYs were lost to non-communicable diseases.
JAPAN Japanese healthcare industry is ranked second in the world, with its main challenge being the aging population.
Complete coverage of medical expenses by insurance adds a point to its rank. Thus, changes in the economy are likely to have little effect on the industry – even with the current decline in labor force and with increasingly aging population.
The pharmaceutical and drugs industry of Japan is challenged with issues pertaining to the launch of blockbuster drugs, sales and marketing productivity, and structural reforms. Bungyo – the separation of prescribing and dispensing drugs by doctors and pharmacists, – is soaring, and expected to reach 80 percent in the next five years.
With 100 percent insurance coverage for medical expenses and in view of the fact that physicians across the country charge a fixed fee irrespective of their qualification and experience, patients are choosing to go to bigger hospitals for treatment.
The medical devices industry is also highly competitive and is a trade hub for countries such as the United States and Europe. Demand from the growing population of aged people for better medical facilities is one of the reasons for the increasing volume of imports in this industry.
With the opening up the Japanese economy with less regulations across industries and sectors, the Government’s initiative to develop standards and encourage best practices across the healthcare industry is likely to enhance Japan’s global competitiveness. The country’s medical facilities are also expanding to meet the long-term goal of promoting development, raising the standards of living, and narrowing the gap with developed countries. This opens up plenty opportunities for more adventurous players.
Japan Pharmaceuticals and Healthcare Report Q2 2010
BMI forecasts Business Monitor International that the value of Japanese pharmaceutical market at retail prices will increase at a very modest compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 1.25%, as measured in local currency. However, when calculated in US dollars, growth will fall into negative territory. The market will reach a value of JPY9,619bn (US$87.45bn) in 2014, up from of JPY9,040.1bn (US$95.16bn) in 2009. Over our longer, ten-year forecast, we expect the growth rate to drop to under 1% as public purse-strings are tightened further.
Japan is looking to triple its generics sector by 2012. In 2009, generic drugs represented an estimated 9.4% of the total market by value, with BMI forecasting this share to increase to 15.5% in 2014, and further to 23.5% by the end of 2019.
Despite the low annual growth rate expected in the coming years, the Japanese drug sector continues to benefit from a large relative (per-capita consumption was estimated at almost US$750 in 2009) as well as absolute – with its population numbering over 127mn – usage of medicines, Indeed, in our updated Q210 Business Environment Ratings (BERs) table for the 15 key markets in the Asia Pacific region, Japan regained its pole position, previously held by Australia. Globally, Japan is ranked as the fourth most attractive market for multinational drugmakers, after the US, Germany and Canada.
Opportunities in the generics sector are to be increasingly explored by foreign companies, with Israeli generics specialist Teva and traditionally research-based Pfizer recently reporting their plans for entry into the market. In terms of other notable company news over the past quarter, Teva-Kowa Pharma, a 50:50 joint venture (JV) between Teva and Japanese drugmaker Kowa, entered into an agreement to acquire a majority stake in Taisho Pharmaceutical Industries. The acquisition will help Teva-Kowa to achieve its growth plan in Japan by bringing in local expertise and know-how.
Earlier in the year, Teva- Kowa announced its plans to start selling generic cancer drugs from January 2010. Leading Japanese drugmaker Takeda revealed that it would enter the South American drug market via the acquisition of a generic drugmaker in the region, though the company is yet to elaborate on any potential targets. Over the coming five years, pharmaceutical imports will grow at a faster rate than exports – benefiting from regulatory and pricing environment improvements – and result in an expanding trade deficit through to 2014, with generic medicines making a major impact in volume terms. The competitive nature of the multinational sector’s hi-tech imports will add to pressures on the pharmaceutical trade balance, especially as the level of domestic research and development (R&D) industry activity lags behind that in other major markets.
MIDDLE EAST Middle East healthcare market estimated over $100bnAccording to a recent study, population in the Middle East has exceeded 370m and is estimated to reach over 520m by 2030.
Growing population, mainly dominated by the expatriate community in most of the GCC countries, has given rise to the a rapidly growing market for healthcare and its associated industries, which is now touching $100bn mark in the Middle East alone.
Healthcare markets in the Gulf region are changing quickly. Due to the huge increase in the expatriate population, it is also one of the fastest growing regions with an estimated annual growth of 15%. Business opportunities in the import-dependent marketplace of the five main countries in the region have dramatically increased from where they were a few years ago.
Saudi Arabia, as the richest regional market, has planned to increase the numbers of hospitals from 264 to over 500 in next 7 years. United Arb Emirates (UAE) is also setting trends in providing best healthcare standards on public & private level not only for the growing population within the country but also for patients from across the region seeking the best medical facilities. The UAE healthcare market is projected to rise from $3.2bn in 2005 to $11.9bn in 2015.
The market in the Middle East countries, however, is heavily reliant on the fluctuating price of oil, which dictates the strength of the economy and, in turn, reflected in healthcare provision and the pharmaceutical market. This trend necessitates a global interactive platform for the healthcare industry and medical community to explore the latest advancements, compare alternates and reach mutually beneficial conclusions.
SAUDI ARABIA Saudi Arabia Pharmaceuticals and Healthcare Report Q1 2010
source: http://www.marketresearch.com
In BMI’s Q1 2010 Business Environment Ratings, Saudi Arabia is ranked fifth of the 17 Middle East and African (MEA) markets. This is a drop from the country’s previous second place in Q409 and is due to a drop in its score for limits of potential returns. From 2009 to 2014, the pharmaceutical market is expected to post a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.44% in both US dollar and local currency terms. Council of Co-operative Health Insurance (CCHI) secretary general Dr Abdullah Al Sharif has said that the council has plans to develop a comprehensive healthcare management system centred on health economics and pharmacoeconomics in conjunction with the Saudi Food and Drug Authority.
Since Saudi Arabia has both the largest population and the highest level of pharmaceutical spending in the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) there is a strong possibility that the Kingdom could itself become a medical tourism destination to rival Jordan. Saudi Arabian consumers will spend 4% of their GDP on healthcare by 2013 and the government is currently constructing more hospitals and recruiting more healthcare professionals to address issues with access to healthcare services in the country.
Chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes and obesity are forming an increasingly large portion of the region’s epidemiological profile. Domestic drugmakers in the region, such as Gulf Pharmaceuticals Industries (Julphar) in the UAE, are using exports to reach other GCC states; however, international accreditation for manufacturing practice would allow firms like this to target more lucrative global markets.
Saudi Arabia is highly reliant on foreign doctors for the provision of healthcare. An estimated 78% of the Kingdom’s 43,000 doctors are expatriates. Recently, Saudi Arabia recruited 500 doctors from Bangladesh for the 2,000 health centres across the country. In total, 4,000 doctors had been recruited to 150 new family health centres by early 2008. A further 7,000 should be recruited over the next few years in an attempt to bring the doctor:patient ratio down from 1:4,000 to 1:400. Many of these extra doctors are expected to come from abroad – mostly from less wealthy Arab countries such as Syria, Jordan and Egypt.
The shortage of nurses in the country has initiated an international recruitment drive to make up the deficit. In 2008, the Kingdom recruited 8,000 nurses, with a quarter of these from the Philippines. The government still holds long-term ambitions to decrease dependence on foreign staff, with places on specialist nursing courses reserved for Saudi women.
The country is in dire need of over 4,000 more medical staff. BMI would encourage Saudi Arabia to provide better training and incentives to provide more native doctors, while only using foreign staff as a temporary measure.
United Arab Emirates (UAE) United Arab Emirates Pharmaceuticals and Healthcare Report Q1 2010
source: http://www.marketresearch.com
In November 2009 the UAE government announced that an independent federal authority will be established to regulate the quality and safety of food and drugs entering the country.
BMI believes that the successful implementation of this body – essentially a UAE version of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) – will be attractive to multinational drug-makers operating in the country.
We expect the total drug market to increase in value from US$1.31bn in 2008 to US$1.5bn by 2009. Thereafter, we expect the drug market to reach US$2.65bn by 2014, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 21% in US dollar terms.
Our extended 10-year forecast indicates that the market will reach US$3.4bn by 2019, showing a slow CAGR of 5.2% from 2014 onwards. We believe that as the second largest pharmaceutical market in the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) region after Saudi Arabia, the UAE’s introduction of a proper regulatory body is a wise move.
Saudi Arabia already has the SFDA, which affiliates testing laboratories for drugs and food products. We note that recently the fluctuations in medicine prices in the UAE have led to greater pressure on the government to import and manufacture more generic drugs. This is yet to happen due to the lack of testing facilities in the country. Bioequivalence and other quality control analyses are not consistently carried out for foreign medicines entering the UAE. Instead, medicines come from the EU or US where strict regulations are already in force.
Healthcare sector advertising in the GCC region during January-September 2009 was worth approximately US$162mn, according to the findings of UAE-based research group the Pan Arab Research Centre. The group has revealed that total 2009 spending on advertising for the industry could reach US$215mn. BMI believes that since the member states of the GCC are undergoing healthcare reform or promoting medical tourism (in the more developed countries), the increased spending on advertising is to be expected.
The creation of the Healthcare City (HC) in Dubai has yet to fulfil its potential for attracting international patients. BMI believes the Dubai government has to promote its medical tourism benefits more widely in order to gain considerably from its substantial investment. At present, the HC has 80 English-speaking clinics, with highly qualified doctors, cheaper prices per procedure than the US, no waiting times and the close proximity of holiday areas already renowned for luxury and relaxation. Construction of the second phase of the HC’s complex will include spas and other ‘wellness’ facilities. The completed complex will form the largest medical tourism centre between Asia and Europe.
For detailed reports, please go to Business Monitor International (BMI) http://www.marketresearch.com
Business Monitor International
Business Monitor International (BMI) publishes specialist business information on global emerging markets for senior executives in more than 125 countries worldwide. A wholly independent, London-based company, BMI has specialized in the analysis of global emerging markets since its foundation in 1984. BMI’s comprehensive range of weekly, monthly and annual reports contains the latest available data, forecasts and analysis on political risk, economic performance and outlook, the business environment, finance and leading industry sectors.
For those who don’t know, momos are TIbetan/Nepali dumplings. They can be filled with either finely chopped cooked vegetables (often cabbage) or meat and can be either steamed or fried. They are usually eaten by hand, smeared in a spicy chili dip and perhaps a little salt. Delicious. As Nepali food is notoriously dull, momos are the food I missed most after my first trip to India, and I don’t think I’m alone in this sentiment.
I eat momos several times a week, but there is one momo memory that still haunts me: the thulo, or giant, momo. My memory of my first encounter with it is at once vivid and vague, blurred by the doubts of others. Sometime right at the end of my stay in Kalimpong two years ago, I went with a friend to a favorite spot of his, tucked in the below ground floor on the main road. There he, and then I, ordered what turned out to be a fucking enormous momo, as big as a large hamburger with a pastry skin more than half an inch thick.
When I move back to Sikkim some months ago, I recalled the dish being called “ti po” or “thai so” or something, but no one I asked seemed to know what I was talking about. Some recommended tee-momos, which are just wads of steamed dough, but this was not the satisfaction I sought. I googled it, to no avail. I popped into restaurants to ask for thulo momos, caressing the invisible dumpling with both hands, but all I got was empty stares.
Then this weekend I went back to Kalimpong for a two night holiday. I didn’t end up staying long, as I quickly joined a group of British gap year students that I met on the street and went back with them to where they were teaching English in the nearby village of Pedong. But before we left, we decided to get some tea. Knowing this may be my chance, I search my memories and lead the group to what I believe is the place I had dined at two years earlier. Inside I ask the proprietor if “thulo momo” was available. He nodded, and I did a mental fist pump.
It was brought out just a few second later, and it was even bigger than I remembered, or imagined. And it was very tasty. I ate it with a fork, cutting it into chunks and then spooning up the fallen veggie filling. One could, if one were daring, eat it by hand, picking it up and biting into it like a sandwich. The trick would be to keep it steady at an angle that prevents the filling from falling out.
According to the restaurant owner, the dish is called “da pow.” Arthur speculates that the cook must have studied under a renowned Chinese family in Kathmandu.
Check out the photos below PROVING once and FOR ALL to all DOUBTERS that the thulo momo truly does exist.
I got on a plane and went to India. It was a wild week: two days of travel, my arrival to this dusty, hot place, autorickshaw rides, the Taj Mahal, interviews, my head full of honking, streets filled of people and cars, markets full of sounds, smells and shiny jewellery. Glorious spice. Two days home again and I feel asleep like a baby. Hours later, at 3:34 a.m. on February 27, the country woke up with a bang. It’s been a rollercoaster ride ever since.
Like concerns over Pinera’s ties to Pinochetistas and big business, nearly everything before that moment was forgotten. For now. Thankfully, however, I took a few photos; it wasn’t just a dream.
Is it me, or does George look not quite “all there” in this pic? Still, it’s a very neat and unusual presentation;I like it.
In other exciting news,I’ve seen people griping elsewhere about watermarks and wanting credit for scanning photos from a book. People, unless you are the individual who snapped or originally published the photos, zip it.
Los Angeles, CA – PERI Software, based in New Jersey announced today it has open new offices in the Wells Fargo Tower in the business district of downtown Los Angeles to offer its advanced global business solutions to a high demand market
