BBC Business Daily 1a6c4

Nearly a decade has ed since the Colombian government signed a peace agreement with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, the Farc, the largest left-wing guerrilla group in Latin America. Thousands of Farc fighters came out of their jungle and mountain hideouts, handed in their weapons, and returned to civilian life. The state has helped them reintegrate into the workforce, find jobs, and start businesses, so how has that process gone? We talk to former of the Farc who spent years in the guerrilla organisation and in jail, who are now doing jobs like beekeeping and selling beer. How have they found the transition? And we hear from a woman whose mother was kidnapped by the Farc, and who questions why the state is spending so much time and money on former of a group that committed terrible atrocities. If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected] Presented and produced by Gideon Long (Picture: View of bottles of craft beer made by former Farc rebels. Credit: Getty Images)

For thousands of years people have traded spices across continents, sharing recipes and wealth. But what could happen to the modern spice industry if costly barriers to free trade are imposed? As US President Donald Trump reaches 100 days in office, it is arguably his “reciprocal tariffs” that have caused the most upheaval in the US and global economies. We speak to three people working in the North American spice import and processing sector to see how it's impacting them. Presenter: Ed Butler Producer: Hannah Bewley (Image: Imported spices and seasoning at Phuoc Loc Tho Super Oriental Market in Florida. Credit: Getty Images)

What gift did you open for your birthday this year? Were you gifted any toys? Lots of adults were. In fact, figures suggest that adults buying toys for themselves is keeping the toy market alive, driving nearly a third of global sales. But what’s behind shift? In this episode we meet the makers, the sellers and the buyers. Produced by: Megan Lawton Presented by: Sam Gruet (Image: A man playing with cars. Credit: Getty Images)

Even before there was talk of a trade war between the US and EU, Europe was on the economic backfoot. But it wasn’t always the case. In 2008, the EU was the world’s biggest economy - today, the US economy is $9.5 trillion bigger than the EUs. So what has happened? Presented and produced by Rob Young (Image: An employee fixes the seat to a Volkswagen AG Tiguan on the production line at the Volkswagen factory in Wolfsburg, . The company said in March 2025 that profits had fallen amid high costs and Chinese competition. Credit: Getty Images)

From filming 'day-in-the-life' videos, to capturing casual conversations in the office, some employees are no longer just working behind the scenes. They're stepping into the spotlight as the creative forces behind their company's social media content. More businesses are moving away from paying for traditional social media influencers to market their brands, to asking their own staff to do it. Meet the 'workfluencers'. This type of in-house marketing might serve as a useful recruitment tool, or help to humanise corporations while boosting engagement, but it carries risks for a business. And how honest can employees be in what they post? Should they be paid extra to do this sort of work? If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected] Presented and produced by Deborah Weitzmann (Picture: Employees filming content for social media. Credit: Joe & the Juice)

Why are egg prices in the US so high? The price of a dozen eggs has risen dramatically this year, and in some stores, consumers face prices approaching the 10 dollar mark – five times the long-term average. Meanwhile, breakfasts are booming for US hospitality but restaurants are also raising their prices. In a country where the average citizen eats 280 eggs annually, is there an end in sight to the high cost of buying this household staple? Or is it time to look for an egg alternative? If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected] Presented and produced by Matt Lines (Picture: Empty egg shelves and a sign limiting purchases to one carton per customer are seen at a grocery store in New York, United States on 16 April, 2025. Credit: Getty Images)

We're in Chile, where it’s grape harvesting time and vineyard workers are busy cleaning their barrels to make way for new batches. The South American country has more than a thousand different varieties of grapes, but it’s proving hard to reach a new generation of wine drinkers. It’s not just young people drinking less. Around the world wine production is in decline. This is often due climate change causing extreme droughts which affects harvests. How do wine-producing countries like Chile respond - and keep the industry thriving? Presented and produced by Jane Chambers (Image: Friends having fun and relaxing together drinking red wine during a rooftop party in New York East Village. New York is one of the key markets for new-style Chilean wine. Credit: Getty Images)

Consumer goods as well as fuel and cocoa are all crossing Ghana’s northern border illegally, and in large volumes. It's costing the government billions of dollars in lost revenues. Ed Butler looks at perhaps the biggest illegal trade - gold - Ghana’s number one cash export. But even as the informal economy, unmonitored and untaxed, continues to grow, some are asking: isn’t there also a specific economic solution to the problem? In the second of two programmes, based at the northern Ghanaian border with Burkina Faso, he finds out what some are suggesting could be done to change the criminals’ incentives. Produced and presented by Ed Butler (Image: Illegal gold mining in northern Ghana)

Consumer goods, fuel, gold and cocoa are all crossing the border illegally - it's costing the government billions of dollars - so can it be stopped? Ed Butler travels to the northern Ghanaian border with Burkina Faso, and hears from cocoa smugglers who are operating in the region. Produced and presented by Ed Butler (Image: A livestock market in northern Ghana. Traders, including those pictured, told the BBC they believe some of the livestock is contraband)

Argentina, a country often associated with economic turbulence, is emerging as a frontrunner in agricultural biotechnology and home to a third of Latin America's start-ups. From shrimp shells to super crops, we explore how a blend of scientific talent, venture capital and cutting-edge research is starting to transform farming - one of the country's most important sectors. While Argentina is becoming a global player in this area, can this boom be sustained amid economic and political challenges in the country? If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected] Presented and produced by Natalio Cosoy (Picture: Engineer Mario Nejamkin, and Claudia Casalongue, cofounder and scientific lead at agri-tech start-up Unibaio, standing in a potato field in Argentina. Credit: BBC)

The small country of Armenia in the South Caucasus has long been positioning itself as an emerging technology hub. Hundreds of tech start-ups with strong ties to the US market through the Armenian diaspora are now based there. From 2020 to 2022, investments in small Armenian tech companies reached $48 million. The industry has been partly fuelled by the arrival of hundreds of Russian IT specialists following the invasion of Ukraine. We hear how the government wants the IT sector to develop the economy, talk to tech start-up founders, and find out how tech education for children is being prioritised. If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected] (Picture: Staff in the offices of Doctor Yan, a health care assistant app in Armenia. Credit: BBC) Presented and produced by Rayhan Demytrie

In India’s villages, innovation is being born from necessity. From a fridge made of clay, to silk fashioned from lotus stems, to smart devices helping blind farmers manage their land, we meet the country’s grassroots innovators. If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected] Presented and produced by Devina Gupta (Picture: A lotus flower. Credit: BBC)

Thousands of businesses have 'spun-out' from universities - so is this an opportunity for further growth? The model has seen great success in the US, leading to booming commercial ventures such as Dropbox, iRobot, and Boston Dynamics. And now the UK government has plans for further investment in spin-outs from Oxford and Cambridge. But what evidence exists that this approach can be as effective in other parts of the world? And as global economies strive for growth, will there be competition for talent and investment? If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected] Presented and produced by Sam Fenwick (Image: Oxford University in the UK)

We’re in Helsinki where Europe’s biggest campus for startup companies is being built. What role could it play as Finland strives to create the continent’s most ive environment for new businesses? We’ll look at some of the challenges the country’s facing as it competes for global investment and tech talent. And hear from Sweden - does it see Finland taking its start-up crown anytime soon? If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected] Presented and produced by Maddy Savage (Picture: Turkish entrepreneur Lalin Keyvan, who's founded a startup in Finland. Credit: BBC)

From noticing a gap in the market, to launching a start-up with her husband, CEO Julia Hartz tells us how she's built Eventbrite to become one of the biggest event ticketing platforms in the world, distributing 272 million tickets to more than 1.7 million global events in 2024. The online site enables s to buy tickets to all kinds of community gatherings; with almost one-million creators publishing get-togethers like, cooking classes, yoga sessions and cold-water plunging. Julia shares how the company has dealt with challenging economic climates, the scourge of surge pricing, and how it's adapting to new ways of bringing the world together offline. If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected] Presenter: Ed Butler Producer: Amber Mehmood (Picture: Julia Hartz. Credit: Getty Images)

Colombia has emerged as the world's second-biggest exporter of cut flowers, and the largest supplier to the United States. Local growers suffered a scare this year when US president Donald Trump threatened to impose tariffs of 50% on imports from Colombia. The dispute was quickly resolved but, even so, the threat of tariffs remains. And the sector faces other challenges, particularly around sustainability. We visit a flower farm in Colombia and go to Bogota airport to see how the country exports this most delicate and perishable of goods. We also talk to an academic who says the industry is changing rapidly, with an emphasis on growing flowers locally rather than flying them around the world. If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected] Presented and produced by Gideon Long (Picture: A female employee handling roses at a flower farm, Flores de los Andes, near Bogotá, Colombia. Credit: BBC)

A shortage of workers is leading some retailers to forgo hiring altogether. The number of unmanned, or staff-less stores in South Korea has grown rapidly in recent years - from ice cream shops to bustling cafes and bars. We explore how these unmanned stores operate and if they can offer a solution to the country’s demographic problems. Is this the answer for business to keep things running when there aren’t enough people to work? Producer/presenter: David Cann (Image: An unmanned bar in Seoul, South Korea)

The country is facing a labour shortage following decades of low birth rate and depopulation. By the year 2032, it’s estimated South Korea will need more than 890,000 additional workers to maintain the country’s long term economic growth goal of 2%. But with 95% of the country’s population identifying as ethnically Korean, the public opinion on immigration is mixed. In the second of our three-part series looking at South Korea’s low birth rate and population decline, we ask if the immigration can fill the gap in labour, and what the challenges are. Produced and presented by David Cann. (Image: A worker from the Philippines holding a baby in South Korea. Credit: Getty Images)

South Korea has grappled with an unprecedented decline in birth rate over the past nine years. However the latest figures show a slight rise in the number of babies born. Although the number remains low, the news is being welcomed with cautious optimism. The increase follows years of pro-parent policies and heavy investment by the government and businesses. In the first of our three-part series looking at South Korea’s low birth rate and population decline, we look into the efforts it took to achieve this turnaround, and find out how the number got so low in the first place. If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected] Presented and produced by David Cann (Image: A mum and child in South Korea. Credit: Getty Images)

In its 50th anniversary year, we chart Microsoft's history and look at where the tech giant is heading into the future. It's one of the world's biggest companies - we get exclusive access to the Seattle HQ. If you would like to get in touch with the show, please email: [email protected] Presenter: Zoe Kleinman Producers: Imran Rahman-Jones, Georgina Hayes and Rumella Dasgupta (Picture: A Microsoft sign is seen outside the company headquarters on July 3, 2024 in Redmond, Washington. Credit: Getty Images)