HA NOI — It is expected that Viet Nam will earn US$500 million from the export of vegetables and fruit this year, an increase of 10 per cent over last year, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT). Products such as dragon fruit, pineapples, mangos, papayas, jackfruit, canned fruit and a variety of vegetables have been exported mainly to the US, the EU, Japan, Taiwan, Canada and mainland China, where imports are expected to increase following recent droughts and flooding.

WELLINGTON, Aug. 3 (Xinhua) -- World Trade Organization Director-General Pascal Lamy will arrive in New Zealand Wednesday to discuss with government officials the stalled Doha Round of trade negotiations and the WTO's work in the difficult economic climate. Trade Minister Tim Groser, who will host Lamy in Wellington from Aug. 3 to 5, said New Zealand was "strongly committed" to the multilateral trading system embodied in the WTO.

Vietnam’s footwear exports would likely to achieve its annual export target of USD6 billion, the Vietnam Leather and Footweqar Association (Lefaso) said Wednesday. According to Lefaso, Vietnam’s footwear exports in July hit USD600 million, prompting total earnings in the first seven months to reach USD3.62 billion, up 30.7 percent year-on-year. With current market prospects, Vietnam’s footwear industry would likely achieve its annual export target of USD6 billion, China’s Xinhua news agency quoted Lefaso on Wednesday.

WASHINGTON, Aug 3 (Reuters) - With U.S. economic growth nearly stalled and unemployment stuck above 9 percent, Caterpillar's (CAT.N) man in Washington, Bill Lane, has been pitching what many think is a crazy idea: one more try to reach a big market-opening deal through the World Trade Organization. Facing a panel last week of top trade lobbyists for the U.S. manufacturing, services and farm sectors, Lane warned that countries in Asia, Latin America and Europe were striking new trade deals at much faster pace than the United States.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Wednesday urged Russia to resolve issues blocking its entry into the World Trade Organization by the end of the year, the White House said. Russia is the largest economy still outside of the WTO and could become the 154th member at the group's next ministerial meeting in December.

Negotiations on a comprehensive free trade pact between India and the European Union, which began in June, 2007, have reached at an "advanced and delicate stage", Parliament was informed. India is in talks with the the 27-nation bloc, its biggest trading partner, for liberalising commerce in goods, services and investment through the bilateral Broad-Based Trade and Investment Agreement (BTIA).

(Reuters) - Congressional leaders said on Wednesday they have agreed upon a path to approve three long-delayed free trade agreements and a program to help U.S. workers who lose their jobs because of foreign competition. "My staff and (Senate Republican Leader Mitch) McConnell's staff have been in discussions for weeks over the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program and the three outstanding FTAs," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said in a statement.

VNEconomyNews.com - Vietnam last month exported 636,344 tonnes of rice to earn over US$305.067 million, with more than half of the volume sold to the Asian market, according to the Vietnam Food Association (VFA). The figure raised the country's total rice exports in the past seven months to 4.549 million tonnes worth US$2.152 billion, the VFA said. Vietnam's rice exports showed a year-on-year increase of 13.79 percent in both quality and value. In recent times, the price of Vietnamese rice has increased along with that of Thai rice.

HCM CITY — Thai rice exporters are looking for alternative sources of supply in Viet Nam and Cambodia in case the new government makes prices too high for export. The Thai Rice Exporters Association (TREA) has been crying foul about the newly-elected Pheu Thai's announced policy to allow farmers to mortgage their entire harvest for 15,000 baht (US$500) a tonne for white rice and 20,000 baht ($660) for fragrant, or hom mali, rice, the English-language Bangkok Post newspaper reported.

Russia could complete its World Trade Organization (WTO) membership negotiations by the end of the year, it has been reported. Russian government officials have said that the country could conclude its WTO accession talks by December, ahead of a crucial general council meeting. Accession documents would be submitted to the council by the membership working group. The council would then rule on whether the bid has been successful.