"One of the biggest challenges facing Indonesia is to continue to chip away at lowering poverty rates, especially urban poverty. Microfinance has played a central role in reducing poverty across the country and it can continue to do so well into the future. Microfinance improves the lives of the poor in a variety of ways. It provides access to banking services that are fundamental to the expansion, diversification and enrichment of economic life.

But a recent study found that more than 60 percent had no access at all to institutional credit. Empowerment through microfinance is a logical solution in providing access to funds for people who have so far been excluded from the more formal banking system."

"Half of Metro Manila has seen its water supply vanish, with the private firm handling the concession warning that the supply for the National Capital Region may last only until September. The National Water Resource Board had ordered that water from Angat should be reserved for household use.

How and why Napocor was allowed use of Angat for power confounds us. Especially, since its own personnel at the dam have been warning all along that the water level at Angat kept on falling. Manila Water has warned that rationing looms at the East zone as well. If so, the water shortage is already metro-wide. So does this not warrant the declaration of a crisis? In the meantime, the queue for water across Metro Manila is growing longer."

"India's poor masses need bank accounts and access to the financial system to help to sustain the country's strong domestic economic growth, said Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee. He challenged banks and other businesses such as mobile phone companies to come up with innovative systems that would help the government attain its aim of bringing the poor into mainstream banking.

Analysts say improving the poor's access to financial services is crucial to ensure they can take advantage of India's robust. Lack of availability of credit and banking facilities for the poor at an affordable cost is a stumbling block for growth and equitable development, which are essential for reducing poverty."

"At a time when the National Planning Commission (NPC) is claiming that poverty has reduced considerably from 2003/04 level, new poverty estimates made at Oxford University by some experts for United Nations Development Program has shown an extremely frightening poverty situation in Nepal. The study has generated a new debate on the reliability of both methodology and poverty estimates made so far, which would have far-reaching implications on planning and development.

A quick review of the new reduced poverty estimates of NPC at 25.4 percent for 2009/10 shows that they were based on a mechanistic approach or technique. One fundamental question is that despite added thrust on inclusive development and equity, how can such a technique embrace these aspects in overall development."

"Major investments are needed in Asia to guarantee food safety, United Nations food experts have warned. More than 60 million Asians became malnourished last year, raising the regional total to 642 million. Although food prices have dropped since the height of the global food crisis in 2008, the problem of malnourishment is worsening and governments are not investing enough in agriculture, the FAO warned.

Food prices in Asia remain between 20 and 30 percent higher than 2007 levels, said FAO Asia Pacific director Hiroyuki Konuma. The world as a whole needs annual farm investments of $200 billion over the next 40 years to feed the world's human population, which is expected to grow to 9.1 billion by 2050. In Asia alone, $120 billion is needed every year."

"PRC faces many challenges in its efforts to maintain the health of the banking industry, including risks from local government financing vehicles, property loans and industrial overcapacity, said a bank regulator. The nation's policy makers are grappling with the risks posed by last year's $1.4 trillion credit boom that fueled the nation's comeback from the global recession.

Banks should adhere to restrictions on lending to property developers and mortgage loans to individuals, he said. They should also conduct 'stress tests' on their lending for real-estate projects and other sectors related to property to ensure they properly understand and can cope with the risks they've taken on, the regulator said."

"The European Union (EU) has subjected 20 percent of the shrimp consignments from Bangladesh to stringent testing procedures from July 15, fearing the presence of harmful chemicals and other objects in those. However, exporters do not accuse the EU of being harsh on Bangladesh frozen food consignments. Rather, they have blamed the government for its failure to develop adequate laboratory testing facilities.

The government should have been serious enough about catering to the need for ensuring proper laboratory tests for frozen foods exported to countries where authorities are extremely careful about the quality of the foods their citizens consume. It should not also be as lackadaisical as it generally is in ensuring minimum food safety requirements at home."

"The Ministry of Commerce and private firms involved in rice production and export have agreed on a new marketing strategy for the second half of the year that will focus more on increasing the value of exported rice instead of the quantity. The export strategy will be changed because it is projected that the world's rice output would drop this year, due to the problems of pests and natural disasters in several rice production countries.

Thailand will no longer try to compete with Viet Nam in exporting more rice, and will instead compete by exporting rice of higher quality and higher value. Thailand exported about four million tons of rice in the first half of the year. To achieve the goal under the new strategy, the ministry had set up four sub-working committees on rice standards, marketing promotion, rice information and marketing strategy."

"The Peoples Congress Party of Solomon Islands plans to create incentives to stimulate economic activities in the rural areas if it becomes part of a Coalition after the election next month.

Traditionally the Solomon Islands is an export orientated economy, shipping copra, cocoa, fish, logs and sawn timber. Infrastructure is important so that people can participate in the socio-economic activities to help improve their living standards."

"Local industries in Bangladesh, particularly light engineering, electrical and light electronics, are facing heavy odds, particularly in terms of an uneven tax structure, which are stunting their growth. These sectors are variously known as feeder industries, baseline linkage industry etc, which have an import substitution as well as export role.

If the government wants to offset the huge imbalance of trade, it is only through import substitution and increase in exports will that be possible, and for which there is little option but to provide equitable conditions for these businesses to operate in. The government should consider restructuring the current tariff regime. It is quite extraordinary that the existing duties are in favor of importers."

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