VNEconomyNews.com - So far, Vietnam has exported nearly 39,000 tonnes of tra fish to the US, earning US$135 million, up 85.5 percent in volume and 105.5 percent in value against the previous year. According to the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP), the US continues to top the list of Vietnam’s tra fish importers, making up 16 percent of Vietnam’s tra fish export turnover. The export price of tra fish dropped to US$3.19 per kilogram in March but rose to US$3.79 per kilogram in May.

On July 15, the Harper government announced that significant progress had been made in the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) negotiations with the European Union. A media release said both sides had exchanged “ambitious” offers on goods (tariffs) and procurement. A few news articles elaborated on what “ambitious” might mean (because it isn’t obvious).

The Indian dairy sector will be grossly impacted by the Union government’s effort to include milk products within the domain of the proposed Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between India and New Zealand, feels a section of the Indian dairy industry.

(Reuters) - Russia will lift its ban on raw vegetables from all European Union countries starting on Tuesday, August 9, the head of the country's consumer watchdog was cited by Russian news agencies as saying on Monday. Russia banned imports of raw vegetables from the European Union on June 2 due to a deadly E.coli outbreak. Moscow later agreed to drop the ban provided it received safety guarantees and has since allowed imports from some EU nations.

PRESS STATEMENT — [Port Moresby, PNG - Monday 8th August 2011] The Pacific’s fish stocks remain instrumental to the region’s negotiations for an Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) with the European Union (EU). The Pacific African, Caribbean and Pacific (PACP) Fisheries and Trade Ministers are meeting today in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, with the aim of considering various fisheries-related issues arising from the PACP-EU EPA negotiations.

HA NOI — Some key farm export products are struggling to reach targets this year due to a lack of raw materials and disadvantages on the world market, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has said. The ministry has reduced expectations in export value for seafood, coffee and rubber. Export prices on the world market were expected to fall by the end of the year compared to the first half and export volumes would not increase due to lack of raw materials for processing, the ministry said.

Business leaders and academics recommend the new government ease rules and extend the coverage of current free-trade agreements as well as step up the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) talks. Easing rules of origin and extending product lists of existing FTAs will help lift exports from Thailand to Asean, Japan and China, the top three overseas markets of Thai products, said the Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI).

VNEconomyNews.com - The target was planned at a meeting between Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Thanh Bien and his Lao counter part Khemmani Pholsena, in the Lao capital city of Vientiane yesterday (August 5th). According to the memoir, the two sides agreed to boost coordination with relevant ministries and branches to organize trade fairs in Laos in 2011 and the coming years. The two countries’ businesses also contact regularly through seminars and conferences.

Russia stands a high chance of entering the World Trade Organisation (WTO) before the end of the year, president Dmitry Medvedev has said, with the Kremlin citing support from Barrack Obama. However, the ongoing dispute with Georgia could threaten to upset the progress made.

HCM CITY — Viet Nam's rice exports in the first seven months rose to a record high of nearly 4.62 million tonnes and fetched US$2.18 billion, the Viet Nam Food Association reported. It represented an increase of 16.72 per cent in volume and 26.07 per cent in value, Huynh Minh Hue, VFA's general secretary told a meeting in HCM City yesterday. The average free-on-board export price during the period was $473.37 per tonne, a year-on-year increase of $35.11, he said.