Briefs

Some ride-hailing companies have rejected some points in a revision of an Indonesian Transportation Ministry regulation on transport apps, particularly regarding the fare and pricing system.
A regulation issued last year on taxi-hailing apps requires that vehicles used for the purpose undergo roadworthiness tests and that their drivers possess public-transportation licences. Part of its revision states that certain fares will likely be capped, which would make companies using online transportation apps unable to offer competitively lower rates.
Uber Indonesia has voiced concern about the revision, saying that if implemented, it would make it harder for Indonesians to access reliable transportation options and the flexible economic opportunities that ride-hailing offers.
“We will continue to engage with the government to ensure that the interests of riders and drivers are put first, and that innovation is allowed to thrive in Indonesia,” the company said in a statement on Wednesday.
Grab has also voiced concern, saying it agreed with some points but not with others.
“We are studying conditions in certain cities. The public is open to the idea of online-based transportation because of the technology, sense of security and convenience,” Grab Indonesia managing director Ridzki Kramadibrata said |recently.
The revision is likely to be implemented on April 1. – The Jakarta Post

India, Philippines in talks on ‘pharma zones’
India, the largest provider of generic medicines globally, is in talks with Manila on setting up manufacturing zones in the Philippines for Indian pharmaceutical companies wanting to tap the Asean market, a top official said this week.
N Ramakrishnan, first secretary of the Embassy of India in Manila, told reporters in an interview that the trade departments of both governments floated the idea of “pharma zones” at a meeting of a joint working group last year.
While everything is still under discussion, the pharma zones would aim to attract Indian drug companies to set up manufacturing operations in the Philippines.
The Philippine pharmaceutical industry recorded US$3.5 billion (Bt122 billion) in sales last year. Of this figure, Indian companies, which mostly do trading in the Philippines, contributed a meagre $500 million, Ramakrishnan estimated.
“It’s something like Peza, where you have a zone where Indian companies do their manufacturing here and cater to the Philippines and also markets outside. But it all depends on the response of the Indian pharma companies in order to take it forward,” he said on the sidelines of a business forum.
He was referring to economic zones registered under the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (Peza), which grant incentives to firms that are predominantly export-oriented.
These zones would be beneficial to the Indian pharmaceutical industry, which accounts for around 20 per cent of global exports, according to data from the Indian government.
Indian companies would likely be attracted by the size of the Philippine market – currently dominated by generic medicines both in sales and volume – as well as the Asean market, with a potential customer base of more than 600 million people. – Philippine Daily Inquirer

Development fund offers financial aid to SMEs
Vietnam’s Ministry of Planning and Investment has launched the 2017 Small and Medium-sized Enterprise Development Fund.
Under the programme, the fund will lend SMEs a maximum of 70 per cent of the acceptable investment capital of each project or business plan.
The support programme for SMEs’ innovation has total funding of 100 billion dong (Bt154 million). It provides a maximum loan of 10 billion dong and allows a 24-month grace period for the original loan. 
Another programme with the same funding targets companies involved in water supply, waste and wastewater management and treatment activities, with loans worth up to 25 billion dong.
Two packages worth 180 billion dong each are designed to assist businesses in agriculture, forestry and fisheries and those in processing and manufacturing industries.
Maximum lending under the scheme for agriculture, forestry and fisheries businesses is 20 billion dong and that for processing and manufacturing industries is 25 billion dong. – Viet Nam News