that's, that's facing about child abuse is you have thought i am a u n b and i think we need to help each other and also showcases the incredible story of the footfall listen fluff dennis done to escape the time of the generation for the episode. one of the hello, i'm sorry, i may say them, this is counting the cost analysis era. you know, we do look at the world of business and economics this week from funds to factories . india is 5 minutes. so wants to transform these countries economy. what do his plans name? sol frustrated the agricultural workers. also this week, japanese consumers are coming back on spending that japan slipped into recession,

lost its ranking, as well as the largest economy plus a high, a price to pay if you have a sweet tooth coke. our prices of soaring chocolate make is feeding the hungry call to employees close to half of india's workforce, but generates less than 20 percent of g d. p. millions of small hold. the farmers who have seen the yields and incomes full, demanding support from the government prime minister and run them out of the needs the vote soon as he seeks to extend this decade in office. but keeping them happy. well, that's been a challenge, access, i'm of which reports engulfed into your gas. these farmers have been marching to new delhi, demanding guaranteed across the prices are requests the government to refuse this demand. but it is the duty of the government that they should give us minimum support price. we are demanding minimum support,

price for $23.00 krupps. if they agree to it, entire nation will be prosperous. our entire families will be employed for weeks. farmers across india had been taken to the streets. they are unhappy with the conditions provided by the government, despite their peaceful protests they've been met with resistance. farming is the backbone to feed these economy employees more than half the nation's workforce. people like drug tests are seeking to guarantee the minimum price, at least 50 percent above production costs to make enough for living safety. they put all of a cut. the problem in farming is high input costs. sometimes natural calamities also lead to low yields. we don't skip the purple price file across which leads to major losses because we have to then take a large farming is no longer profitable to out of. the dispute began in 2020, with a law in that the modernizing farming by removing middleman and fixed prices,

which farmers say benefits and large corporations for a year long stand off like to prime minister and then into the movie for appealing the law. despite promises to double their salaries, their financial conditions have worse and after the laws will be drawn in 2021, the demands would not match. so the on back those 2 months, they are demanding something as simple as a simply getting the features and the speed which is minimum support price at which the government buys the cops, which means they are off or just in the short info for them. so those are kind of a 15 net unions are also the magic law and favors for small farmers and a minimum wage for agricultural workers. the government says it's open to negotiations. is hans under no guess on the efforts will continue to speak to the farmers union, a constructive and positive manner. we are ready to hold dialogue with them. these

protests are taking place as india is preparing for national elections by the end of the month. some say they could potentially affect prime minister bodies, re election, the axis i'm gonna reach out to 0 for accounting, the cost. well joining us now from new data in india is jay and chris. now he's a senior fellow and us in the a policy studies at the center for strategic and international studies. good to have you with us. all farmers right to demand high, a guaranteed crop prices. see from farmers perspective, you know, they have their, their lights into minding that like but let's understand, you know, too much. busy of a deep one is that they're talking about all the crops coming to the minimum support price that isn't misspeak. and which is the, they're talking about, the 50 percent profit or the cost of production. and which is also in line. but uh, you know, the know to know that signed is the image, but i mean, not things that are coming to you, but accommodations based off the old $1.00 times solve the cost of production,

should be the minimum support price for flood or dogs before the for the key drops . you know, what i don't think uh, you know, uh, it may be wise to do that. let's understand india or i'm gonna go on almost an india almost 86 percent of them are small and marginal farmers, you know, and they do not tend to get been impacted by. it must be as much as the lodge bob motor skills. so i think a, a 2 months of protection under a m s. b extended to on crops, which is already there for region by the but be extended to all of the crops, to my mind for the start of, you know, market forces. and also what we're dis, disregard the demand and supply innovation. you don't do much of protection and other must be, would lead to some crops like, you know, having a to be sort of old production. and that would be a shortage off of, you know, other of green. so what i, what i'm trying to say is, diane, will it lead to price increases and inflation and food prices for consumers?

it may lead to that kind of a challenge. you know, uh because uh, if you extend it must be the one crops and we put a huge amount of budget pre button on governmental for india on the federal government. and also it will lead to inexplicable distribution. uh and uh, you know, if there is a good, uh, you know, lack of balance between demand and supply. it may lead to forward inflict infliction. it's better, you know, but i personally do not think that as why is to uh, you know, extend, it must be due on crops and an old one. let's look at the, you know, the deductible. but some problem 20 of the forms you know, which would've brought in on once a box but the bottom line, but the, the business. but it would be to my mind that mckenna zoom was more mocked at lake m. o, i'm glad you mentioned the 2020 the 2021 era, but hold that thought for a 2nd because we need to just remind ourselves a little bit of background to what's going on in the big picture. moody, of course, wants to ton india into a develop nation. the, the economy is expected to grow 7.3 percent this year. it's also on trying to

become the world's 3rd largest economy by 2030 overtaking japan in germany. a major driver of that growth is infrastructure. more than a $130000000000.00 has been allocated to build assets like roads and pulls. they see it. india is also trying to boost its manufacturing thanks. so which accounts in any 17 percent of g d. p. it aims to replace china as a global production hub, bought factories all struggling to fill vacancies despite modi's pledge to create higher paying jobs. or critic site in the quality is rising. and growth is viewed by sectors that don't help poor people. in rural areas, the average per capita income in the south asian nation is nearly 2 and a half $1000.00 a year. and that's less than a quarter of china's so talking about the poor people being left out of this, why is it taking so long?

john to address the challenges of farming conditions, cuz as we were talking of minutes ago and it's been going on since 2020 with the process at least. right. see uh you know, logistics understand agriculture. it's going to go slowly. 15 percent. i get off, i'll send you an offer and you can be, you know, and if you look at what you don't have exact data, but you know, the range anywhere between, you know, 35 percent to 45 percent off the workforce. depends. uh, you know, the, the likelihood is, depends on agriculture, you know, it's, it's a, it's, it's a, it's a very long side of the commission. and it's, it's happening in all countries that above. but you know, look forward to moving, i mean from, i'd be closer to the challenges, how do you create more jobs? so india, and, and deal with, with the same thing is happening. people are moving away from it because uh, because uh, you know, uh, you know, so, you know, the, just for the percent of judy be, cannot feed the, you know, a was a 40 percent off of the workforce. so they're moving already. but the challenges how you create more jobs going on. so,

so far on the government's track record of you know, has, has not been as good as it has been on other friends. so i think the biggest challenge indiana is amazing today is to create more and more jobs, you know, i think. and if that happens, you know, the shifting of me before i'll be from, i think like to get what we're good comes up in the use that goes up. and for that as you right. you said, i think the government has to the scaling, the admission with the problem. the start having bought the phone. i think it needs to needs to be given a, but i should leave a fly and somehow i have to get a feeling it does. i don't know the team but skill us up very, very, very important affinity as the lead buddage demographic do it. and you know, we have to do it on scale of people appropriately, which is very, very important because governments proud to be but some that i get the feeling a little up with what all things it does, taking a bit of a back seat or a dance they may be moving away from agriculture, but it's still a big employer. when you look at the numbers, you know, people in india and how many people are engaged in agriculture. right. is there

also a challenge and improving efficiency of the agricultural sector and productivity? yeah, so that's a, that's a big challenge generally if you look at a body device and leads these to grow ups, you know, and you know, the productivity, the, to the address productivity that to get in india is roughly off of what you get in buckets in the us and even buckets of china, you know, kind of looking. so i think, i think the productivity has to blow up, you know, more and more modern science and technology. more equipment needs to be used in farming. i think that's like the right thing on the water, but the problem is how does it happen if 86 percent of the 5 most are small in modern and, you know, and, and, and they have a, a 100 miles got it opened of existence. so do they have the do they have the vote? mcdonough isn't due to adopt and embrace more technology, more equipment and well. and then let me ask sometimes your mindset is the government's interim. 2024 budget. providing that support, is it doing enough to some extent yes,

the something and getting the programs that are also some almost loans which have been agreed upon. but again, you know, this is a kind of 2nd segment of the most, well, the, probably, they're still not happy though, that protesting how do you think the stand off is going to end? i think the purpose is also partly pretty good because they know little somebody election. so bottom and collections out on the corner to the find much lots of fees that the government would be more than $1.00 variable, speed to to, to, to prolong any crisis. and, and so they, it's, it's a split it to anybody by the time i'm not saying 5 months, don't have a problem that you would challenges. but, but the timing of the test as has got something to do with the what's coming. it makes sense. and i fundamentally believe last payment that the phones hopper and there was a gilding govig. you'll deal with a lack of dialogue between the government and the farmers. they were asked to be more donald and all the please, all be brought from the table for the rise destruction in the notes, but at the bottom actually been in and not going to be in control of it. oh, all right. i'll tell you what i find. thanks so much. jan. so your analysis on that

the off the is of deflation. japan is now seeing inflation with a false is price square of the mold in the 1st 2 years. but the wages are failing to keep up with the rising cost of living and the japanese. well, the not spending as much as they were last slowed economic activity. the end value to the dollar has gone south. japan's economy is now slipped into a recession, is dropped to rank below germany to become the world's 4th largest economy. we'll get into that with all gas shortly, but 1st, let's talk about what is the recession? well, it's when the economy shrinks, for 2 consecutive quotes is measured by a decrease in gross domestic products. well, that's known as a technical recession because any one top of the economy suffers whereas a full recession. well, that effects multiple sectors for a sustained period. and it affects people who faced job losses and reduced income

leading to difficulties and paying bills. securing loans and maintaining savings. business is on the other hand, while they struggle with decrease styles and potential bankruptcy, let's have a closer look at what happened in japan. the. the

shaw phone is and consume is say, that feeling the pinch of cost, we feel that i feel that the way customers shop is changing. they would bring shopping lists, but now to protect that way of living, they are coming to see what the bog themselves, and then deciding what to buy. i think on all of the, you know, that's been,

i've had to pay cuts. so i stopped buying clothes and reaching out in order to save money. well, joining us from tokyo is jessica called director of the investment advisory firm monex group, japan. he's a former chief economist at jp morgan and merrill lynch good to have you with us us . so we go this unusual situation, i guess where we're seeing corporate profit searching. the stock market is rising unemployment rate. so low and yet depends economy unexpectedly fell into recession . why it's very straightforward. you'll remember that in this country, one in 4 is now living off of pension. it's a very, a society average age is 50 years old, one and 4 people is actually over 70 now. and as a result of that, you know, you're living of your pension, which means that the same price is going up, energy price is going up,

all up is eating into your purchasing power. so the gap between corporate japan doing extremely well and therefore the stock market searching and the average people that in depth is widely. well, we see then wages increase if the price is going up. yes, and you're doing that, you're seeing that way just for the people in the twenty's and thirty's are actually growing by 456 percent. so you know, for the young generation everything is fine. but as i said, you know, you've got this sort of barbell where, you know, 25 percent of the people are over 70 and they don't feel, you know, the surgeon incomes. and quite frankly, you know, they're not going to feed it because they live all pensions, not of wages. so what is the solution that for flap very tricky situation with people on pensions? i don't think it's a very tricky situation. it's just par for the course and, you know, in the sense of bad, you know, as a society ages, you know,

the increase in asset prices. the increase in competitiveness of corporations does not necessarily translate into g d p or national income. so, you know, it's a great country to be in. it's a wonderful country to invest in with plenty of opportunities and look forward to a live is still absolutely 2nd to none, particularly for the younger generation. right. a lot of eyes are on the bank of japan right now. do you think it's going to move ahead with the country's 1st rate increases since 2007? so i think the answer is yes, i do expect a normalization of interest rates. remember, we had basically 0 emergency interest rates for almost one generation for almost uh, you know, 25 years. and normalizing interest rates by giving a little bit of a price of money for the term interest rates going to 2025 basis points. that's in the cards, but it does not mean that there is

a type to mingled monetary policy. it's a normalization of liquidity conditions, not the central bank stepping on the brake, hold on. what impact then might have on the end? because that's an important question, isn't it? for export is to you're absolutely right. you know, um, and i've learned the hard way um that what matters is not so much of japanese interest rates, but it is us interest rates. in other words, you know, if indeed the federal reserve would stop to increase interest rates one or 2 more times, that obviously would give a further boost to the dollar. the contrast, you find that the moves by the bank of japan, if at all, are going to be very inc for mental and not dramatic. so i do think that the dollar is points to increase further. all right, and let's talk about the bottom line here. shrinking population comes upon them ever recover its number 3 spot a?

no, absolutely not about the japan's corporations will continue to gain competitiveness . you've got a new generation of c o slot, aggressive making new acquisitions. just look at nip on steel, buying us steel. i mean, that's a very aggressive move. so the gap between g d, p, japan, and corporate competitive japan, inc. bed gap is going to widen and don't worry, you know, the quality of life stays very high because public infrastructure remains excellent here in japan. so a more competitive corporate sector and still a very high quality of life here in tokyo. or why should the japanese government do to spell my mall growth and perhaps try and look at that gap. so you know, this is where it gets very interesting. in the end there is one primary answer which is to allow more immigration, and the thirty's here in japan are doing this. the visa regulations for workers.

but digital nomads for university students, it cetera. all of these visa regulations are being used. so you know, if you really want to return to a 23 percent growth economy, you're going to have to reduce it up further on immigration bills. all right, jessica call the thanks so much good to talk to the position economy also fell into a technical recession at the end of last year. but the bank of things inside the u . k. showing signs of recovery, many economists of o to the bank of england to low a borrowing cost to help revive the economy. john, so the jeremy hunt says that could happen soon. of the underlying picture. here is an economy that is more resilient than most people predicted inflation is coming down real wages have been going out now for 6 months. and if we stick to long guns, independent full cost is say that by the sum of we could stop the interest rates

pulling, and that will be a very important relief for families with mortgages. now let's have from some brothers fateful about how they feel about the contraction of the economy. i say things are suddenly picking up. it's still quite hard. i think 2nd off of the kind of the things we paid for the bank said we probably need a general election just as opposed to both of them. fill out allows us to move on, get a sense of direction since we investment for business and so on. the ultimate, i'm part, i'm pretty up some mistake, but i appreciate that people sort of think the jobs. it's hard, but it will get better. i think it's a symptom of what we did for the last. how many is now 1st in use of the government? that seems intent on 10 of your stronger countries. i'll talk a holics may have to full count more to satisfy the cravings. the main ingredient, of course, is co co, which mostly comes from west africa. the price of the beans hit a rec, hold hi, of $95900.00 a ton more than a week ago. manufacturer is a why, right?

the increase could damage that business. and that's because the price of co co, a search by 99 percent since last year major produces, including the maker of cadbury and tobler, run and reported a slump in sales. chocolate la. those are starting to feel the impact is some prices of almost doubled, making the ones sweets escape come at to base a cost for all. joining us for ma'am. so them in the netherlands is anthony fountain. he's the managing director of the voice network and kohls. busy of the co cobra alma to good to have you with us. so let's start with the obvious one that ends and why all coco price is rising. coca prices are rising because supply is low and supply is low because of a combination of bad weather and that's, that's the result also of climate change and the nino weather pattern that we're seeing at the moment. but also because of an outbreak of several crop diseases in

west africa because of the spread of gold mining to go production in west africa. and because farmers are basically, they've been underpaid for so long that there's not really a future for them in cocoa. and so they're, they're not really doing their best to grow a lot of don't go at the moment because it's not worth it. is there something that west africa can do to take care of some of the structural issues at least obviously . um and i think that the government policies make a huge difference in what it is and what isn't able to be done there. so invest in infrastructure, invest in better education and, and invest in diversified production. and i go forestry versus just cutting down on the forests to grow. co go, right? so those are things that the governments can do um, but most of those will have a best and medium to long term effect on what's going on. what about the prices of all the commodities of a contributing to the challenge? chocolate produces a facing the cocoa price peak is quite unique to cocoa at the moment because it's

really a coco specific problem. but we're, we're dealing with a problem across all crops and across many decades now. and it's not just in tropical commodities where farmers are simply not being paid the price, they need to have a good livelihood. this is also why we're seeing a lot of farmer protests in europe at the moment as well. um, our global food system is not aimed at paying doing a fair price to farmers is aimed at driving the price down as low as you possibly can get. because we, as consumers, want the cheapest possible products and so a market sold and this is sufficient to deal with that at the end of the day. do you see any hope? i don't think that market forces are sufficient to help the farmer market forces work very well further down the supply chain. but we've known for decades that the market actually doesn't work well in paying the farmers properly. and in fact, the,

the architect of the common agriculture will policy a dutch politician. many years ago after he invented the european calling, agricultural policy said, actually supply and demand works very badly for farmers. and that's why we think farming needs to be paid remunerative. lee and not based on supply and demand. well, what about chocolate makes? is that how they dealing with this challenge? simply passing the everyone, they like to say everyone is quite concerned about these high prices. and when i say everyone, i mean everyone in the coco sector, the buyers, etc. not so much for the price is, although that is a challenge, but they're concerned because the prices are high because there's low supply. and if there's low supply at some point, that means if there's not going to be enough cocoa to make all of the chocolate that we're used to consume the, i think going down, always seen the model for chocolate decrease not yet, but that's also because the big price hike hasn't actually reached the stores yet

because co go get sold a year, a year and a half in advance. and so the prices that we're seeing now on translates into the chapter price is quite yet that will take quite a while before and officially gets there. or i do think we're going to see the prices rise any time soon, given all the facts as you've mentioned. go go. that would be so i just so i wouldn't be surprised if chocolate prices went down. i think they will go up because companies are quite good at kind of translating their increased costs to consumers. so that will definitely happen at 1st. people thought this high price was going to be a short term, temporary thing because of a, whether anomaly at the moment. more and more analysts are thinking this will take quite some time still at least a year, if not longer. so i don't think chuck, the prices are going to be coming down anytime soon. we're gonna see shrink deflation, where they shrink the size of the product instead. well, that's what we've seen every time so far, when coke of prices are high,

they either indeed shrink the size of the bar. i think total around it that quite spectacularly in a problem magic way a few years ago when it happened the last time. but you see companies making their packages smaller, but sometimes also putting in a whole bunch of extra ingredients in that art cocoa that are cheaper. so right expect see more kinds of chocolate with lots of other ingredients in it. all right, thanks so much for joining us. on this sweet topic. thank you very much. and that's all show for this week. but remember you can get in touch with us, my sweet to use the hash tag a c t c. and you do owe us an e mail to the cost that out there a don't let is our address as well for you online at al serra don't. com slash these. you see like these sites on page which has individual reports, links and the power of those people catch up on the sense of this edition of

counting the cost. i'm signed these i that from the whole team here. thanks for joining us use. and i'll just say era is next. the hi esperanza of china government, the national peoples congress is missing in the agents outlines. it's amazing. but as the economy fails to recover from the pandemic, what called the cushions of an increasingly weak outlook for the rest of the color . the latest development unique perspective, desktop plays students up. does. they told the palestinians to go to on heard voices through humor. i try to highlight the absurdities inconsistency, but proceed with the landscape. connect with our community and talking to conversations you will find elsewhere to take every day. this is going to unspeakable horror as to really

a lot about what's happening because of the tasks and media attention. the stream on al jazeera record numbers of chinese asylum seekers are traveling to the us. that's double many take a dangerous route through left in america. a gang of people points that have done it in the past of a 2 part investigation. 101 east meets the chinese, my friends risk and you know, the american dream on out to 0. the ship is home to survivors of losses. earthquakes, inter kit, a floating hotel, its features, rooms at dining, hall and entertainment facilities. social workers offer lessons to president, still recovering from there or to. 4 to 5 year old school note is scared of entering a building after the earthquake destroyed her home. luckily we have the c a, we are leaving on a ship bill, a small world, hey we our family. and eventually they have something to look forward to. the nearest part reopened, giving many here for the life is a loss of returning to normal. their playing nothing but the trauma is never far

away. the the, the 800 us citizens are killed and this way the strike they had a que waiting hospital in rafa in southern johnson, the other them or kyle, this is al serra, alive from doha. also coming up a desperate rush for aid and gone to the world. jordanian air force carries out some agile ration. final arguments against national cause.