Amazon, Alaska, Costco, Microsoft, Nordstrom asking Washington to skip payroll, wealth tax

SEATTLE — Dozens of major companies have sent a letter to Washington’s governor and state legislature to “review and revise” the tax and budget proposals, saying they threaten the state’s economic stability.Alaska Airlines, Amazon, Costco, Microsoft, Nordstrom, PSE, Zillow, T-Mobile, Redfin, Virginia Mason, WaFd Bank, Weyerhaeuser, Puget Sound Energy, and the Seattle Mariners were among the co-signers on the letter addressed to Gov. Bob Ferguson, State Senate Leader Jamie Pedersen, House Speaker Laurie Jinkins, and Minority leaders John Braun and Drew Stokesbury.This comes a day after Ferguson said he would veto any bill with a proposed wealth tax off the table in any spending package amid approvals by the House and Senate for a slew of new taxes.“These proposals would result in the largest tax increases in state history, perpetuating a dangerous trend of unsustainable spending growth,” the companies wrote in the letter. “Over the past decade, the state operating budget has more than doubled, with a 37 percent increase in just the last four years. This growth far exceeds state increases in population, inflation, and personal income, threatening our economic stability.”RELATED | Ferguson says a wealth tax will be vetoed, urges new discussions to close $16B deficit“Given national economic trends, Washington state cannot sustain continued tax and spending increases and simultaneously maintain our economic resilience and competitiveness,” the companies added in the letter. “Even with no new taxes, existing revenue sources are projected to rise by a healthy 6.8 percent in the 2025-2027 biennium and 7.7 percent on top of this in the 2027-2029 biennium. Given this, we believe it is a mistake to enact, as proposed last week, billions of dollars of additional tax increases with the apparent goal of growing tax revenue by almost 15 percent in the next two years alone.”The letter also suggested that tech jobs would leave the state as a result of such a package, and that it is 30% less expensive to employ a software engineer in Vancouver, Canada than in the Puget Sound region and that jobs moved to the Eastside from Seattle when the city started the “Jumpstart” payroll tax.The letter was also signed by the presidents of the Seattle and Bellevue Chambers, as well as the presidents of the Association of Washington Business and the president of the Washington Roundtable.“We are asking the legislature to think again,” said Microsoft President Brad Smith in a new interview with KOMO News. “It would make it harder to keep jobs in this state or create new jobs. The wealth tax, in our view, would cause people to leave the state. It would undermine entrepreneurship. It would discourage people from starting new companies in Washington state, it would be bad for the economy.”Thirteen countries across Europe adopted precisely this type of tax in the 1980s, and almost all of them ended up abolishing it because they all had the same experience,” Smith said in reference to the wealth tax. “This type of tax across Europe destroyed jobs.””We can’t ignore economics, and even in Seattle, Amazon has fewer jobs today than when that tax, that first payroll tax, was enacted, 10,000 fewer jobs, while in Bellevue, Amazon has added 25,000 jobs,” Smith added. “I think the economics would make virtually inevitable the transfer of some jobs out of Washington State to Idaho, to British Columbia, to other states in the United States, that is what the experience in Europe showed there.””It is cheaper to employ a software developer in Vancouver, and part of it is the exchange rate,” Smith said. “There’s other factors as well, but it’s why, when you go to Vancouver, the engineering population has really skyrocketed this decade, and you see not only Microsoft, but you see, Amazon, you see Apple, you see Zillow, you see a whole host of startups expanding jobs in Vancouver, and it’s great for Vancouver. It’s great for our entire region, but it is a reminder of economics at work,”“I am optimistic that if we all lean in together, we can find a sensible path,” Smith said.On Tuesday, Ferguson questioned the legality of any spending package that includes a wealth tax.Senate and House Democrats said such a bill would raise $4 billion and help close what Ferguson calls a $16 billion spending gap.Critics have suggested the gap was created by overspending over the last few budget cycles, given that revenues continue to remain strong. Ferguson did not directly answer questions about whether he would consider the payroll tax.

Udon Entertainment Signs Book Market Distribution Deal with Publisher Simon & Schuster

Image courtesy of Udon Entertainment©Udon EntertainmentUdon Entertainment announced on Wednesday that it has entered into a new book market distribution agreement with Simon & Schuster, effective April 1. Udon will depart from its previous book market distribution agreement with Diamond Book Distributors following its bankruptcy filing in January.Simon & Schuster will handle new releases and backlist titles for all Udon books for the book trade worldwide as of Wednesday.
Udon Entertainment entered on February 13 a non-exclusive distribution agreement with Lunar Distribution to handle its direct market sales, beginning with May 2025-shipping comic book products. With the agreement, Udon Entertainment’s two 2025 Free Comic Book Day titles — Street Fighter vs. Rival Schools #1 and Mega Man #0 (pictured right) — will be handled exclusively by Lunar Distribution. Udon’s titles will also be available through Universal Distribution and Diamond Comics Distribution. Udon stated to retailers that orders for the two titles made through Diamond Comic Distributors will be canceled, and retailers are asked to reorder the books from Lunar Distribution.
Udon Entertainment’s Chief of Operations Erik Ko stated regarding the decision:

It’s a rocky time for the entire comic industry right now. Diamond has been a very supportive partner of UDON since we started publishing over 20 years ago, and we respect that support a great deal. We are very hopeful that Diamond can come back strong from Chapter 11 restructuring, but with the uncertainty ahead it makes the most sense for us and for the retailers who carry our books to open up our distribution options and make our materials available through additional partners like Lunar Distribution.
Udon Entertainment also assured that with the exception of the two Free Comic Book Day titles, almost all orders placed with Diamond will still be filled. Udon listed Street Fighter Prime #0, Final Fight #4, and Street Fighter Masters: Guile #1 comics as products “shipping exclusively through Diamond before May 2025.”
This year’s Free Comic Book Day is scheduled on May 3. Udon’s titles Street Fighter vs. Rival Schools #1 and Mega Man #0 will lead into new mini-series and other products for 2025.

© Diamond Comic DistributorsDiamond is one of the primary distributors of print comics in the United States.Diamond announced on January 14 that it has filed a voluntary petition for relief under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code in the United States Bankruptcy Court in the District of Maryland. Companies who file under Chapter 11 are able to maintain business assets, which may or may not include licenses, in order to attempt to reorganize. Diamond cited that the decreased consumer activity, rising operating costs, and declining sales in the comic book industry post-COVID-19 led to its decision.
Diamond will continue to operate business during this time. Orders will continue to process as usual. The company plans to continue running Free Comic Book Day.
Diamond’s two largest unsecured creditors are Penguin Random House (a publishing company and distributor for other publishers, including manga ones such as Dark Horse) and Bandai. Diamond owes these two companies US$9,202,181 and US$4,348,743, respectively. Diamond also owes money to companies such as Viz Media, Square Enix, The Pokémon Company International, Hasbro, and more. Bankruptcy filings stated the company owed Udon Entertainment US$202,694.
Source: Press release

Udon Entertainment Signs Book Market Distribution Deal with Publisher Simon & Schuster

Image courtesy of Udon Entertainment©Udon EntertainmentUdon Entertainment announced on Wednesday that it has entered into a new book market distribution agreement with Simon & Schuster, effective April 1. Udon will depart from its previous book market distribution agreement with Diamond Book Distributors following its bankruptcy filing in January.Simon & Schuster will handle new releases and backlist titles for all Udon books for the book trade worldwide as of Wednesday.
Udon Entertainment entered on February 13 a non-exclusive distribution agreement with Lunar Distribution to handle its direct market sales, beginning with May 2025-shipping comic book products. With the agreement, Udon Entertainment’s two 2025 Free Comic Book Day titles — Street Fighter vs. Rival Schools #1 and Mega Man #0 (pictured right) — will be handled exclusively by Lunar Distribution. Udon’s titles will also be available through Universal Distribution and Diamond Comics Distribution. Udon stated to retailers that orders for the two titles made through Diamond Comic Distributors will be canceled, and retailers are asked to reorder the books from Lunar Distribution.
Udon Entertainment’s Chief of Operations Erik Ko stated regarding the decision:

It’s a rocky time for the entire comic industry right now. Diamond has been a very supportive partner of UDON since we started publishing over 20 years ago, and we respect that support a great deal. We are very hopeful that Diamond can come back strong from Chapter 11 restructuring, but with the uncertainty ahead it makes the most sense for us and for the retailers who carry our books to open up our distribution options and make our materials available through additional partners like Lunar Distribution.
Udon Entertainment also assured that with the exception of the two Free Comic Book Day titles, almost all orders placed with Diamond will still be filled. Udon listed Street Fighter Prime #0, Final Fight #4, and Street Fighter Masters: Guile #1 comics as products “shipping exclusively through Diamond before May 2025.”
This year’s Free Comic Book Day is scheduled on May 3. Udon’s titles Street Fighter vs. Rival Schools #1 and Mega Man #0 will lead into new mini-series and other products for 2025.

© Diamond Comic DistributorsDiamond is one of the primary distributors of print comics in the United States.Diamond announced on January 14 that it has filed a voluntary petition for relief under Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code in the United States Bankruptcy Court in the District of Maryland. Companies who file under Chapter 11 are able to maintain business assets, which may or may not include licenses, in order to attempt to reorganize. Diamond cited that the decreased consumer activity, rising operating costs, and declining sales in the comic book industry post-COVID-19 led to its decision.
Diamond will continue to operate business during this time. Orders will continue to process as usual. The company plans to continue running Free Comic Book Day.
Diamond’s two largest unsecured creditors are Penguin Random House (a publishing company and distributor for other publishers, including manga ones such as Dark Horse) and Bandai. Diamond owes these two companies US$9,202,181 and US$4,348,743, respectively. Diamond also owes money to companies such as Viz Media, Square Enix, The Pokémon Company International, Hasbro, and more. Bankruptcy filings stated the company owed Udon Entertainment US$202,694.
Source: Press release

Val Kilmer: Where To Stream 10 Of The Actor’s Classic Films

Iconic actor Val Kilmer died Tuesday, leaving behind a lasting body of work on film and stage.

Val Kilmer’s daughter, Mercedes Kilmer, broke the news to the New York Times about her father’s death from pneumonia at age 65. Kilmer had been battling health problems for more than a decade, including throat cancer. Sadly, the actor largely lost his ability to speak after his cancer treatments in 2014.

Kilmer’s screen career kicked off in 1984 with the lead role in directors Jim Abrahams, David Zucker and Jerry Zucker’s slapstick comedy Top Secret! In a matter of a couple of years, Kilmer went from Top Secret! to the top of Hollywood’s A-list opposite Tom Cruise in one of the top films in 1986, forever cementing his place in Hollywood history with dozens of more great works ahead of him.

Below is a list of 10 of Kilmer’s classic films and the streaming services that are carrying them. In addition, all of the films are available for purchase or rent on video on demand.

Top Gun (1986)/Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
Technically this is a two-film entry but both Top Gun and Top Gun: Maverick are classics in their own right. In Top Gun, Val Kilmer stars as Lt. Tom “Iceman” Kazansky, who is continually at odds with his fellow U.S. Naval Aviator Lt. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise) as both vie to become the Top Gun pilot at an elite flight school.
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Both Cruise and Kilmer reprised their roles with the bookend film Top Gun: Maverick, in which Kilmer appears in a profoundly emotional reunion scene with Cruise. Top Gun: Maverick marked Kilmer’s last film appearance.

Top Gun is streaming on Paramount+ and Prime Video, while Top Gun: Maverick is streaming on Paramount+.

‘Willow’ (1988)
Val Kilmer stars as the mercenary Madmartigan opposite his then-real-life wife, Joanne Whalley as Sorsha, the daughter of the evil sorceress Queen Bavmorda (Jean Marsh) in Willow.
Willow is an epic fantasy adventure directed by Ron Howard and co-written and produced by George Lucas. At the center of the film, of course, is Willow Ufgood (Warwick Davis), an aspiring sorcerer who rescues an infant child prophesized to bring Queen Bavmorda’s reign to an end.
Willow is streaming on Disney+.
‘The Doors’ (1991)
Val Kilmer channels the late legendary rock singer Jim Morrison in The Doors, a music biopic from director Oliver Stone. While the film refers to the name of the classic 1960s rock band, The Doors is largely a chronicle of Morrison’s life and career before his death at age 27 in July of 1971.
The Doors also stars Meg Ryan as Morrison’s longtime girlfriend Pamela Courson, as well as Kyle McLachlan, Frank Whaley and Kevin Dillon as Morrison’s Doors bandmates Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger and John Densmore, respectively.
The Doors is not available as part of any streaming service package but is available to purchase or rent on video on demand.
‘Tombstone’ (1993)
Val Kilmer stars as legendary gunslinger Doc Holliday opposite Kurt Russell as Wyatt Earp in Tombstone.
An old-school Western set in Tombstone, Ariz., Tombstone finds Holliday and Earp alongside Earp’s brothers Virgil (Sam Elliott) and Morgan (Bill Paxton) as they off against a band of criminals including Curly Bill Brocius (Powers Boothe) and Johnny Ringo (Michael Biehn). Tombstone’s massive ensemble cast also includes Charlton Heston, Dana Delaney, Michael Rooker, Thomas Haden Church, Stephen Lang and Jason Priestley.
Kilmer, however, steals the show as Doc by citing, among other things, his famous phrase, “I’m Your Huckleberry” — words that eventually became the title of the actor’s 2020 memoir.
Tombstone is streaming on Hulu, Fubo and FX Now.
‘Heat’ (1995)
Val Kilmer stars in the key supporting role of Chris Shiherlis, the right-hand man of prolific thief Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro) in Heat, an epic crime thriller written and directed by Michael Mann.
As Heat chronicles the deadly cat-and-mouse game between Los Angeles Police Department Lt. Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino) and McCauley, it brings in an impressible cast of ensemble players, which in addition to Kilmer includes Jon Voight, Tom Sizemore, Amy Brenneman, Ashley Judd, Natalie Portman, Danny Trejo, Mykelti Williamson, Wes Studi, Dennis Haysbert, William Fichtner and Ted Levine.
Heat is streaming on Hulu and Netflix.
‘Batman Forever’ (1995)
Following Michael Keaton’s two Batman films for director Tim Burton, the franchise took a new creative direction under filmmaker Joel Schumacher, who hired Val Kilmer to assume the dual role of Batman and Bruce Wayne in Batman Forever.
The film not only introduces Batman’s legendary sidekick, Robin (Chris O’Donnell), but it finds the dynamic duo taking on a new pair of villains: Harvey “Two-Face” Dent (Tommy Lee Jones) and Edward Nygma (Jim Carrey), aka The Riddler. Nicole Kidman also stars in the film as Bruce’s new love interest, the psychoanalyst Dr. Chase Meridian.
Batman Forever is streaming on Max.
‘The Saint’ (1997)
Val Kilmer stars as Simon Templar — a role that originated on television in the 1960s by future James Bond actor Roger Moore — in the big-screen adaptation of The Saint.
A thief who expertly disguises himself as various Catholic saints, Templar is hired by the Russian mob to steal a cold fusion energy plans from a top scientist, Emma Russell (Elisabeth Shue). Simon’s mission takes a detour, however, when he falls for Emma and discovers he’s being targeted by the people who hired him for the heist.
The Saint is streaming on Paramount+.
‘Kiss Kiss Bang Bang’ (2005)
Val Kilmer plays a private detective, Perry van Shrike, aka Gay Perry, opposite Robert Downey Jr.’s Harry Lockhart in writer-director Shane Black’s dark crime comedy. When Lockhart is mistaken for an actor after stumbling into a movie audition while eluding authorities in New York, he is sent to Los Angeles to study under Perry to prepare for another audition.
While in Hollywood, Perry and Harry get caught up in a murder investigation, where a struggling actress, Harmony Faith Lane (Michelle Monaghan), is trying to unravel the mystery behind her sister’s death.
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is not available as part of any streaming service package but is available to purchase or rent on video on demand.
‘Val’ (2021)
A Prime Video original documentary, Val chronicles Val Kilmer’s life and career through footage pulled from hundreds of hours of the actor’s home movies and videocassette collection, as well as a new interview with the actor and artist. The film not only delves into Kilmer’s film and stage career, it takes a deep dive into his battle with throat cancer.
Val Kilmer’s son, Jack, who sounds remarkably like his father, narrates the film. In addition to Jack Kilmer, the film also features Val’s daughter, Mercedes Kilmer, their mother and the actor’s ex-wife Joanne Whalley.
Val is streaming on Prime Video.
Bonus Pick: ‘Real Genius’ (1985)
Before Val Kilmer soared in the action genre with Top Gun, he appeared in a pair of comedies — 1984’s Top Secret! and Real Genius in 1985. In the latter, Kilmer stars as Chris Knight, a teenage genius who conspires to ruin a professor’s plan to develop a highly powerful laser weapon to use for nefarious purposes.
Real Genius is not available as part of any streaming service package but is available to purchase or rent on video on demand.

Val Kilmer: Where To Stream 10 Of The Actor’s Classic Films

Iconic actor Val Kilmer died Tuesday, leaving behind a lasting body of work on film and stage.

Val Kilmer’s daughter, Mercedes Kilmer, broke the news to the New York Times about her father’s death from pneumonia at age 65. Kilmer had been battling health problems for more than a decade, including throat cancer. Sadly, the actor largely lost his ability to speak after his cancer treatments in 2014.

Kilmer’s screen career kicked off in 1984 with the lead role in directors Jim Abrahams, David Zucker and Jerry Zucker’s slapstick comedy Top Secret! In a matter of a couple of years, Kilmer went from Top Secret! to the top of Hollywood’s A-list opposite Tom Cruise in one of the top films in 1986, forever cementing his place in Hollywood history with dozens of more great works ahead of him.

Below is a list of 10 of Kilmer’s classic films and the streaming services that are carrying them. In addition, all of the films are available for purchase or rent on video on demand.

Top Gun (1986)/Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
Technically this is a two-film entry but both Top Gun and Top Gun: Maverick are classics in their own right. In Top Gun, Val Kilmer stars as Lt. Tom “Iceman” Kazansky, who is continually at odds with his fellow U.S. Naval Aviator Lt. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise) as both vie to become the Top Gun pilot at an elite flight school.
MORE FOR YOUiOS 18.4—Update Now Warning Issued To All iPhone UsersNYT Mini Today: Hints, Clues And Answers For Wednesday, April 2Nintendo Switch 2 Flips The Switch On $80 And $90 Games

Both Cruise and Kilmer reprised their roles with the bookend film Top Gun: Maverick, in which Kilmer appears in a profoundly emotional reunion scene with Cruise. Top Gun: Maverick marked Kilmer’s last film appearance.

Top Gun is streaming on Paramount+ and Prime Video, while Top Gun: Maverick is streaming on Paramount+.

‘Willow’ (1988)
Val Kilmer stars as the mercenary Madmartigan opposite his then-real-life wife, Joanne Whalley as Sorsha, the daughter of the evil sorceress Queen Bavmorda (Jean Marsh) in Willow.
Willow is an epic fantasy adventure directed by Ron Howard and co-written and produced by George Lucas. At the center of the film, of course, is Willow Ufgood (Warwick Davis), an aspiring sorcerer who rescues an infant child prophesized to bring Queen Bavmorda’s reign to an end.
Willow is streaming on Disney+.
‘The Doors’ (1991)
Val Kilmer channels the late legendary rock singer Jim Morrison in The Doors, a music biopic from director Oliver Stone. While the film refers to the name of the classic 1960s rock band, The Doors is largely a chronicle of Morrison’s life and career before his death at age 27 in July of 1971.
The Doors also stars Meg Ryan as Morrison’s longtime girlfriend Pamela Courson, as well as Kyle McLachlan, Frank Whaley and Kevin Dillon as Morrison’s Doors bandmates Ray Manzarek, Robby Krieger and John Densmore, respectively.
The Doors is not available as part of any streaming service package but is available to purchase or rent on video on demand.
‘Tombstone’ (1993)
Val Kilmer stars as legendary gunslinger Doc Holliday opposite Kurt Russell as Wyatt Earp in Tombstone.
An old-school Western set in Tombstone, Ariz., Tombstone finds Holliday and Earp alongside Earp’s brothers Virgil (Sam Elliott) and Morgan (Bill Paxton) as they off against a band of criminals including Curly Bill Brocius (Powers Boothe) and Johnny Ringo (Michael Biehn). Tombstone’s massive ensemble cast also includes Charlton Heston, Dana Delaney, Michael Rooker, Thomas Haden Church, Stephen Lang and Jason Priestley.
Kilmer, however, steals the show as Doc by citing, among other things, his famous phrase, “I’m Your Huckleberry” — words that eventually became the title of the actor’s 2020 memoir.
Tombstone is streaming on Hulu, Fubo and FX Now.
‘Heat’ (1995)
Val Kilmer stars in the key supporting role of Chris Shiherlis, the right-hand man of prolific thief Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro) in Heat, an epic crime thriller written and directed by Michael Mann.
As Heat chronicles the deadly cat-and-mouse game between Los Angeles Police Department Lt. Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino) and McCauley, it brings in an impressible cast of ensemble players, which in addition to Kilmer includes Jon Voight, Tom Sizemore, Amy Brenneman, Ashley Judd, Natalie Portman, Danny Trejo, Mykelti Williamson, Wes Studi, Dennis Haysbert, William Fichtner and Ted Levine.
Heat is streaming on Hulu and Netflix.
‘Batman Forever’ (1995)
Following Michael Keaton’s two Batman films for director Tim Burton, the franchise took a new creative direction under filmmaker Joel Schumacher, who hired Val Kilmer to assume the dual role of Batman and Bruce Wayne in Batman Forever.
The film not only introduces Batman’s legendary sidekick, Robin (Chris O’Donnell), but it finds the dynamic duo taking on a new pair of villains: Harvey “Two-Face” Dent (Tommy Lee Jones) and Edward Nygma (Jim Carrey), aka The Riddler. Nicole Kidman also stars in the film as Bruce’s new love interest, the psychoanalyst Dr. Chase Meridian.
Batman Forever is streaming on Max.
‘The Saint’ (1997)
Val Kilmer stars as Simon Templar — a role that originated on television in the 1960s by future James Bond actor Roger Moore — in the big-screen adaptation of The Saint.
A thief who expertly disguises himself as various Catholic saints, Templar is hired by the Russian mob to steal a cold fusion energy plans from a top scientist, Emma Russell (Elisabeth Shue). Simon’s mission takes a detour, however, when he falls for Emma and discovers he’s being targeted by the people who hired him for the heist.
The Saint is streaming on Paramount+.
‘Kiss Kiss Bang Bang’ (2005)
Val Kilmer plays a private detective, Perry van Shrike, aka Gay Perry, opposite Robert Downey Jr.’s Harry Lockhart in writer-director Shane Black’s dark crime comedy. When Lockhart is mistaken for an actor after stumbling into a movie audition while eluding authorities in New York, he is sent to Los Angeles to study under Perry to prepare for another audition.
While in Hollywood, Perry and Harry get caught up in a murder investigation, where a struggling actress, Harmony Faith Lane (Michelle Monaghan), is trying to unravel the mystery behind her sister’s death.
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is not available as part of any streaming service package but is available to purchase or rent on video on demand.
‘Val’ (2021)
A Prime Video original documentary, Val chronicles Val Kilmer’s life and career through footage pulled from hundreds of hours of the actor’s home movies and videocassette collection, as well as a new interview with the actor and artist. The film not only delves into Kilmer’s film and stage career, it takes a deep dive into his battle with throat cancer.
Val Kilmer’s son, Jack, who sounds remarkably like his father, narrates the film. In addition to Jack Kilmer, the film also features Val’s daughter, Mercedes Kilmer, their mother and the actor’s ex-wife Joanne Whalley.
Val is streaming on Prime Video.
Bonus Pick: ‘Real Genius’ (1985)
Before Val Kilmer soared in the action genre with Top Gun, he appeared in a pair of comedies — 1984’s Top Secret! and Real Genius in 1985. In the latter, Kilmer stars as Chris Knight, a teenage genius who conspires to ruin a professor’s plan to develop a highly powerful laser weapon to use for nefarious purposes.
Real Genius is not available as part of any streaming service package but is available to purchase or rent on video on demand.

A risky business no more

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In depth story

Increasing investments in agriculture changes minds and turns heads in Benin

02/04/2025
A more energetic woman, you will never meet. Edith Mireille Deguenon, who goes by Mireille, walks around the grounds of her business with quick steps filled with purpose and enthusiasm. Her past is full of experiences, her future full of plans. You can tell just by the way she looks around that she has a vision for Oasis des Enfants, the agribusiness she began to address malnutrition in children.
Her step in this direction was logical. Having gone through all her studies and becoming a registered nurse, assigned time and again to paediatrics, she saw her share of children with extended bellies, stunting or otherwise suffering from the effects of malnourishment.
Mireille recalls, “It was when I was in paediatrics that I caught the bug of wanting to heal and nourish children.”
After Mireille got married and moved to Cotonou, she left her nursing profession, but took on studies in Public Health, receiving her diploma in children’s health and nutrition in 2010. She then set up a nursery for children with illnesses, but in 2012, she decided to address malnutrition head on by making fortified flour. A combination of maize, soy, peanut and/or millet, the flour helps families meet the nutritional requirements of their children.

In Benin, between nine and ten percent of the population suffers from food insecurity and about 34 percent of children under five years old are affected by chronic malnutrition, a condition often beginning with malnourished mothers.
Mireille, well-versed in nutrition science, decided that beyond just producing flour at her renovated factory in Abomey-Calavi, she wants Oasis des Enfants to be a space where pregnant, breastfeeding or new mothers can also come and learn about nutrition through cooking demonstrations and informational sessions.
Mireille sought financing to bring her plans to life, collaborating with Hervé Kassa, a facilitator trained by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to use an innovative tool called RuralInvest
RuralInvest, developed and managed by FAO’s Investment Centre, is a software that helps farmers and entrepreneurs transform business data, like agricultural yields, into structured business plans. But at its heart, RuralInvest is more than just a software; it is a methodology and toolkit of training and support, enabling connections between actors along the value chain in agrifood systems.

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In Benin, through the Agricultural Development and Market Access Support (PADAAM) project, RuralInvest is becoming an increasingly important instrument to support agriculture investments, showing significant results in facilitating access to financing from banks and decentralized financial systems.
Financed by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), PADAAM showcases how FAO’s technical expertise and IFAD’s financial support (USD 60.3 million out of a total of USD 106.41 million), in partnership with public and private stakeholders, drives impactful large-scale investments. PADAAM is set to reach over 55 000 rural households.

Hervé is one of over 300 trained RuralInvest experts in Benin, who have in turn, supported over 22 000 Beninese farmers and agripreneurs, like Mireille, access financing through viable business plans.
With Hervé’s guidance, Mireille’s proposal was submitted to the PADAAM decision committee, where approved projects receive initial grants that serve as catalysts to attract additional funding.
With her business plan approved, Mireille is working on expanding her production and introducing a new product alongside her two existing flour types. She intends to hire more women, especially new mothers, further supporting the local rural economy.
Since the introduction of RuralInvest into the PADAAM project in 2020, 590 business plans have been validated by the project. 78 percent of these have already received funds from PADAAM and national financing institutions.
“Access to credit is the core of rural development in reality because the rural world is limited, financially and economically. When there is land, labour and state structures that offer various forms of support, but there is no funding that comes to assist, it becomes complicated… So, financing really comes as a solution,” says Cyrille Hounsou, Director General of Pebco Bethesda, a microfinance institution which partners with PADAAM and offers co-financing for approved business plans.

Mireille has no limits to her dreams for the future, a future that is getting more and more concrete with increased access to finance.
The name of her company, Oasis des Enfants, symbolizes Mireille’s vision:
“You know when you pass through the desert, there is dust, there is heat, there is no water, there are no people, it is empty… But at some point, you can find water with shrubs. This is what we call an oasis. That’s what inspired me. I said my company will be like this water… When they come here, they will be healthy. They will have vitality, and they will have growth,” Mireille says.

Investment-centred thinking
For the agripreneurs, RuralInvest helps them turn their visions into investment-ready business plans. For investors like banks or microfinancing institutions, the tool helps them understand the reality of agricultural businesses and reduce perceived risks in lending, facilitating access to tailored financing.
“The big problem for producers and processors is the issue of adapted financing. It is not that the resources are not available. The resources are available, but these resources must meet the needs or meet the specificities of the activities,” says Sikirou Alabi Oloulotan, Coordinator of ProCaR, a government programme coordinating PADAAM and other IFAD-funded activities in the country.
Together with the use of RuralInvest, the PADAAM project is helping financial institutions understand the specific needs of agricultural producers and processors, such as different loan terms or tailored payment schemes based on the seasonality and specificities of agricultural activities. Because agricultural producers often need to wait for the harvest to be paid, they are often less able to put a large down-payment upfront. These are all areas in which FAO is working with financial institutions to help adapt these loans to the realities of agriculture.
In a nutshell, RuralInvest helps farmers and financial institutions speak the same language, explains Hervé.
It is also helping change the mind of investors that agriculture is too risky of a business. Olivier Tonato, National Cereal Agribusiness Specialist for PADAAM, comments that RuralInvest “gives confidence back to the banks and microfinance institutions and allows them to get it out of their heads that the agricultural sector is risky.”
Like with any business, risks just need to be mitigated. With more information on this sector and with business plans that help translate results into financing options, financial institutions are more willing to work with small agripreneurs and give them the credit they need to grow.
“Producers today are able to purchase equipment that allow their company to achieve a certain performance because RuralInvest, allows visibility of investments over five, ten, 20 years or more… So today, we easily make a correlation between investments and results, which allows to easily assess the performance of the company,” describes Tonato.

The basics
Alongside from financing, a challenge to Mireille’s growth is a basic but foundational one: the raw materials. These basics are not a given in agriculture, where production is highly influenced by outside forces, such as changes in climate, rain fall, pests, diseases and global market shocks. These influences can change not only the amount that can be produced but also the price, which can be a big challenge for small agripreneurs.
“The price [of corn kernels] changes periodically and this year, it is terrible. Corn has become very expensive,” Mireille notes. “We must negotiate with the producers to save some of their stock and sell it to us bit by bit when the price is stable.”
RuralInvest helps structure and formalize the business relationships that PADAAM facilitates between producers and processors and traders.
The Director of Cabinet of the Ministry of Agriculture, Aguemon Dossa, says, “There is the issue of business links because when you produce and you do not sell, you will not continue to produce. So from this point of view, it is extremely interesting that PADAAM works on the development of business links to address the issues of production.”
For producers of maize, rice and cassava, these stable business relationships are essential. Adele Gogoe, Secretary of the UCCPMA maize cooperative, highlights that accessing markets was a significant barrier until PADAAM connected her cooperative with Oasis des Enfants, enabling them to sell their maize more effectively.
Adele hopes for more match-making opportunities like this to expand market access and obtain financing for maize production. “Producers need financial support—it’s challenging to farm without it.”

Investments to grow
On Eloi Hounkponnou’s farm outside the town of Grand Popo in western Benin, these business connections are crystal clear. With the rice fields on one side of the road and the processing factory on the other, Eloi and local producers work together toward a final product: to grow organic rice – a crop he has known since his childhood.
As a boy, Eloi would go to the rice fields in the morning and in the evening, to school.
After finishing high school, he went to work at the port to earn more money for his family. It was only years later, when he was diagnosed with diabetes, that Eloi returned to farming, determined to produce food without chemicals.
“I want to give what is healthy to the population,” Eloi says about his decision to make organic rice.
The start was hard. Eloi says, “We harvested rice with difficulty, I mean with great difficulty. We husked the rice and even had to go as far as 250 kilometres from here to sort the rice.”
His breakthrough came when a local agency connected him to the PADAAM project and FAO’s RuralInvest methodology. With a facilitator’s help, Eloi mapped his production over three years and identified a strong potential to increase production.
Equipped with a clear business plan, PADAAM granted Eloi’s business, Viva Matekpo, funds to purchase essential equipment—a sorter, calibrator and dryer. These tools have cut down the long trips out of Grand Popo to use machines and boosted their production from 270 tonnes to 350 tonnes of rice.

But what Eloi is most enthralled by is that RuralInvest also brought visibility and credibility to Viva Matekpo, opening new funding opportunities and helping him to secure a loan of 10 million CFA (USD 17 000) from microfinance institution, CLCAM (Caisse Locale de Credit Agricole Mutuel), to further expansion. “With that [RuralInvest], we can open other doors,” he says. “It is not something limited.”
Eloi aims to produce 1 000 tonnes of rice and become the region’s top organic rice distributor. Eloi says that the project has launched them on the path and now it’s up to them.
FAO Representative in Benin, Isaias Angue Obama, underscores RuralInvest’s role in agricultural transformation, noting that, “This type of intervention is necessary: the preparation of a business plan, preparing to ask for financial support, this aspect is very important… there is a financial independence that the actors must find.”
“Eloi feels confident in pursuing more funding on his own. “We see something consistent, real, and tangible,” he concludes.

Making connections
In the fields of Zinvié, farmers from the Sedjlo cooperative undertake the arduous task of casava harvesting and preparing the fields for the next season. Casava, like maize and rice, is another vital crop to food security in Benin. It is particularly important thanks to its ability to grow all year-long.
The tractor Sedjlo acquired from their funded RuralInvest business plan helps them immensely in this work, as do the crop tricycles they use to carry the casava to its buyers, Alitech.

Another PADAAM connection, Sedjlo and Alitech, an agricultural processor, have grown their businesses together, relying on one another to do so and with RuralInvest ensuring that the business plan of Alitech (the buyer) matches that of Sedjlo (the producer).
“Our challenge was to increase our capacity to consume more raw material from the producers,” says Daniel Narcisse Savi, Alitech’s RuralInvest focal point.
For this Alitech sought the help of RuralInvest to create a fundable business plan for acquiring more equipment, in particular, dryers. With more equipment, Alitech processes more, hires more people, buys more cassava from Sedjlo who in turn grows more and earns more for their product.
With more productive alliances like these supported, Benin’s agricultural sector increases opportunities in the agricultural sector.

Making agriculture profitable
Agriculture is a crucial part of Benin’s economy. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, it is the primary source of employment for about 75 percent of the population. Most are small-scale farmers and producers working on less than two hectares of land. Growing agribusinesses and production and revenues is part of the solution.
“Poverty is first and foremost rural, according to the numbers. It is most striking in rural areas… so one challenge of agriculture today is how to make it so that producers better live off of their agricultural activities. Meaning, improving revenues,” reflects Dossa.
FAO is working with Benin’s Ministry of Agriculture to institutionalize the use of RuralInvest in the country through large-scale investment. Attaining a critical mass of businesses using this methodology would make an impact on the overall agriculture sector and livelihoods of farmers and agricultural producers, supporting businesses to expand independently.
“If tomorrow, the PADAAM project were to end, all this teaching, all this training, all this application must remain in such a way that all these different actors can function by themselves, whether at the level of production, value chain or demand,” expresses FAO Representative Obama.
Building capacity changes mindsets and breeds empowerment. That’s the future of Beninese agriculture in which FAO is investing.
The FAO Investment Centre created RuralInvest more than 20 years ago but rolled out an updated and even more user-friendly version in 2022. RuralInvest is now used in 15 countries, with 1 500 people trained in using the tool and more than 2 000 business plans developed, accounting for a total financing of more than USD 60 million.
This is part of a series of stories to mark the 60th anniversary of the FAO Investment Centre, highlighting decades of partnerships, initiatives and investments that have shaped agrifood systems. Explore how the FAO Investment Centre continues to drive agricultural investment and finance solutions, transforming lives globally.

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Elon Musk to scale back White House advisory role and refocus on business interests

Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk is set to step back from his advisory role within the Trump administration, according to reports from Politico.

US President Donald Trump is said to have informed close aides that Musk will return his attention to his business ventures in the coming weeks, having overseen what has been described as an “unprecedented programme” of government cost-cutting during his time advising the White House.
Despite recent speculation about tensions behind the scenes, Trump is understood to remain satisfied with Musk’s contributions, crediting the Tesla and SpaceX chief executive with helping to drive significant budgetary efficiencies.
However, Politico reports growing concern among senior officials that Musk, 53, had begun to overstep his advisory remit, leading to his influence becoming more of a liability than an asset.
While no formal statement has yet been made by either Musk or the White House, sources suggest the transition has been agreed internally, allowing Musk to refocus on his portfolio of technology and infrastructure ventures — including Tesla, SpaceX, X (formerly Twitter), and xAI.
The move marks a shift in Musk’s recent visibility in Washington, where he had become a high-profile voice in discussions around federal spending, regulation, and public sector innovation.