Latest news with #Sivaji
The Star
2 hours ago
- Business
- The Star
Food importers worry about added cost
PETALING JAYA: As the government moves to impose a 5% sales tax on a wider range of imported food, local importers warn that the rising costs will ultimately be borne by Malaysian consumers and could affect healthy eating habits. Chef Sivaji, a salmon importer and smoked salmon manufacturer in Malaysia, has voiced his concern over the decision to raise the Sales and Service Tax (SST) on imported salmon and cod. 'If 1kg of salmon costs RM35, with the 5% SST that's an extra RM1.75 in tax. So, for a 5kg fish, we're paying RM8.75 to the government. 'On top of that, there are already so many other taxes. Now, the government has decided to tax healthy food like salmon,' he said. He said the new tax will ultimately be passed on to consumers. 'The taxes will be paid by consumers,' he said, adding that this will make salmon and cod more expensive at retail level. Chef Sivaji urged the government to support the industry, noting that Malaysia is a relatively
Time of India
01-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Rice millers turn to Sivaji, Singam, Idhayakanni to build brand equity
Sivaji, Singam and Idhayakanni are not just the names of Tamil flicks, but the names of packaged (branded) rice retailing in Tamil Nadu. With a whole legion of consumers in the state making a steady transition to packaged rice, the unorganised rice sector is witnessing a churn, and the entry of new players. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Many of their brands are not only marketed within Tamil Nadu, but also across India, and even exported. The packaged rice market pan-India is valued at around $12 billion, with an annual volume surpassing 13 million tonnes. 'Tamil Nadu, with its rice-centric dietary patterns and strong modern trade presence, is estimated to contribute 10–15% to the national market. The shift to packaged rice was driven by the growing demand for consistency in quality, hygiene, and grain,' says N Chandramouli, CEO, TRA Research. Branded offerings of rice variants such as Ponni, Sona, Bapatla, and ADT idli rice are among the most consumed varieties in TN, with a preference for packages of 5kg, 10kg and 25kg bags. It's why rice millers are considering a gradual phase-out of packaging in traditional 75 kg bags. But this is easier said than done. Take the case of the rice bowl of Arani in Tiruvannamalai district, which is home to about 1,000 brands, Barely a few among these 'labels' are registered brands. 'Initially, the rice mill owners entered the market with labelled offerings, to establish brand identity, selling packaged rice free of dust, adulterants and half rice. Later, they evolved into brands, wherein mill owners began focusing on quality to gain a larger market share,' says A Babu, president of Arani All Rice Traders Welfare Association. About 100 rice mills are spread across Arani, with each mill producing multiple brands. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Apart from Tamil Nadu, paddy is also sourced from Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana for processing. On average, during a good harvest season, rice mills in Arani roll out 15,000 tonnes per day. 'Due to the demand for packaged rice in the state, rice manufacturers from neighbouring states have entered the TN market with their own brands. They pose a huge challenge for us,' says Babu, who is also the MD of Quality Foods which sells two brands. Madurai and Kangayam in Tirupur district are other major rice mill hubs in TN. Interestingly, the region of Manachanallur in Trichy district had gotten a head start in the packaged rice business from the pre-Independence era itself. Presently, rice mills in the area process and market an average of 2.3 lakh tonnes of rice per annum for other major players in the state. But the region barely has five proprietary brands. Constraints in procurement policies till the year 2000 had an adverse impact on growth in rice brands in their region. 'When we attempted to revive the packaging model two decades ago, other localities had already blazed past us. Looking at the potential, we are keen on launching our own packaged rice variants,' says M Sivanandan, president, Manachanallur Taluk Rice Mill Owners, who also serves as managing partner of Sri Mayilvahanan Agro Foods that makes Green Star atchaya ponni rice and Adukku Malli idli rice. The growing popularity of packaged rice highlights an opportunity to make agriculture more inclusive and advantageous for farmers. 'Farmers with small land holdings must be incentivized to cultivate unique, native rice varieties. Farmer groups must be made aware of digital marketing and selling their produce to e-tailers,' says S Chandramohan, director and group president finance, TAFE. Chandramouli believes that this is necessary considering how leading FMCG companies are making inroads into the packaged rice segment. 'Their portfolios increasingly include region-specific varieties such as Ponni and Seeraga Samba,' he says.
New Indian Express
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New Indian Express
Kamal Haasan Interview: Thug Life will make you forget Nayakan
Last year, at the age of 69, Kamal Haasan flew to the USA to attend classes on Artificial Intelligence. 'Artificial Intelligence is a broad field, and in terms of cinema, it is still at a very nascent stage. I felt like I needed to learn about it, but didn't know what to learn, ' says Kamal, who believes we shouldn't have fears about AI replacing humans. ' It is like any other technology,' he says. 'We should use it like how we use computers. AI will be a part of our everyday lives.' As someone who was a part of Tamil cinema for years, and as an observer of the unceasing waves of time, Kamal takes an example from the evolution of Tamil cinema to point to the one thing that rides the waves of time unchanged. 'Throughout the years, everything around me changed, the lights, the camera, and the car outside the film set, but we remain the same. Humans are fundamentally the same,' he notes poignantly. As an actor noted for experimentation and versatility, Kamal's recent big hit, Vikram (2022), and his much-awaited Thug Life, both happen to be action-packed gangster dramas. Kamal's unceasing desire for variety, however, remains intact. 'I still have the thirst to be a part of different types of films. Unfortunately, since the gap between films has stretched in recent times, it has become difficult for me to try a variety of genres,' says Kamal. The actor fondly looks back at the times when he went on a spree of low-budget films. '16 Vayathinile (1977) was made around the time MGR and Sivaji were active. We struggled to sell that film. Even though I used to do a lot of films back then, I had a special place in my heart for films like 16 Vayathinile. So, I used to carry its music album wherever I went and showed it to everyone. People didn't understand why I wanted to be a part of such films, but I had the conviction to take it to everyone.' He then hammers home his point, 'There should be big budget and small budget films as well. We need to have a variety of films.' On the need for different types of films, Kamal takes the conversation from 16 Vayathinile to the rise and fall of trends in Hollywood. 'After the end of World War II, perhaps to forget the effects of war, they used to make back-to-back musicals in the West. People eventually got tired of that, and things were changed by a group of filmmakers. The final nail in the coffin was the arrival of auteurs like Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas, and Martin Scorsese — the 'New York gang'. A lot of us were inspired by their works," says Kamal, who also touched upon his impact on the movers and shakers of the film industry. 'My body of work is my investment for the future. Now let's see what the next generation chooses to earn with it,' says a hopeful Kamal.
