► Emerging country trade unions voice concerns in Doha talks 

Leading trade unions in South Africa, the Philippines and Brazil voiced fears here Wednesday that their industries could come out badly in the current Doha round of trade liberalisation talks. Rudi Dicks of the South African trade union congress COSATU said negotiators had failed to take account of positions held by developing countries in the Doha round, which aims to reduce global trade barriers. Labour representatives had come to the headquarters here of the World Trade Organisation, under whose auspices the negotiations are being held, to argue their case following the publication of new compromise draft texts.  (Yahoo News)

► Anti-dumping laws: Good or bad for LDCs?

IN this globalized world, trade is considered to be the key for development and growth of a country's economy no matter whether it is a developing or least developed country (LDC). While countries trade in the global market, often some private firms and entities apply unfair trade practices. Such practices cause serious injury for domestic industries in a particular importing country. Dumping of products by one country in another importing country is one of the common unfair trade practices. For example, China has been dumping television sets and furniture in the US market. The countries prominently figuring in anti-dumping investigations are China,EU, Korea, Taiwan, Japan, USA, Singapore, Russia etc.  (The Financial Express,  Bangladesh)

► New patent rights of drugs suspended by Bangladesh 

The government has suspended the issuance of new patent rights of medicines and agricultural chemicals, as the country is exempted from issuing patent registrations until 2016 under a WTO deal. The decision has sparked a debate between local and foreign pharmaceutical companies. The government took the decision in the light of the agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights. Local pharmaceutical companies that usually produce generic drugs welcomed the decision while the multinationals see it as a barrier to the development of the industry in Bangladesh.  (The Daily Star,  Bangladesh)

► Trading with the 'enemy'

Trade within regional blocs constitutes more than half of the global trade. When it comes to South Asia, however, the picture is dismal. Trade among the countries of the region is less than five per cent of their global trade. The major reason for this is the low volume of trade between Pakistan and India, the largest economies and trading nations in the region. Though formal Pak-India trade (the two countries have informal trade of more than $ 3 billion a year) has increased from $ 236 million in 2001-2002 to $ 1.57 billion in 2006-07.  (The News,  Pakistan)

► Bureaucracy hampers Pakistan and India trade

Pakistan and India could mutually benefit by promoting bilateral trade provided the mindset of their bureaucracy based on six decades of hostility changes to facilitate trade. The liberalisation of trade in the past two decades has put pressure on many domestic industries to import from other regions. This has also forced inefficient industries in these economies to improve quality and cut cost to challenge competitors in their own countries. Pakistan and India, however, are not prepared to allow their efficient sectors to compete similarly in their markets. An Indian economist admits “we, in India, will do well by projecting trade as a two-way traffic.”  (The News,  Pakistan)

► Trading troubles Of Pakistan

STAGNATING exports and soaring imports have widened the trade gap to dangerous proportions. That, in short, is the woeful story contained in the trade figures released the other day by the Federal Bureau of Statistics. Exports are stagnating because our textile and clothing sector has been under-performing over the last two years, and also because the list of exportable surpluses has remained static for several years. So has the list of export destinations.  (Dawn,  Pakistan)

► APTA trade under utilised by Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka has under-utilised its prospect of trade under the Asia Pacific Trade Agreement (APTA). According to the actual and potential benefits and opportunities of APTA for Sri Lankan business and issues in the Rules of Origin by Department of Commerce Dr. Dayaratne Silva, it is known that under the utilisation of preferences for current exports are 28% of all the total exports. Out of the APTA eligible exports 15% of it is untouched by the exporters and even though Sri Lanka is eligible for 12% of current export for APTA preferences, concessions have been obtained only for 5% of the exports. Sri Lanka has used less than 5% of preferential tariff lines granted by China. “We are living in a globalized world, where the government of Sri Lanka is very much dependant on the external environment”, Dayaratne added.  (Daily Mirror,  Sri Lanka)

► India yet to finalise $3 bn swap deal with Japan 

India is yet to finalise a bilateral pact with Japan for a currency swap of up to $3 billion that could be used to meet temporary problems in balance of payment, a junior finance minister said on Friday. In a written reply to parliament, Pawan Kumar Bansal said a final decision on the matter was yet to be taken. Last year, the two countries agreed on a basic framework of the currency swap deal. Japan and other Asian countries have already signed bilateral currency swap deals under the Chiang Mai Initiative (CMI), a regional network of swap deals intended to prevent a repeat of the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis.  (Economic Times,  India)

► EU set to tighten screws on India guar gum 

The European Union is poised to tighten import controls on an Indian gum used as an additive in foods ranging from yoghurt and soft cheese to bread as way to eliminate dioxin contamination, officials said on Thursday. Earlier this month, the EU finalised a report based on an urgent visit that a team of its inspectors made to India in October to see how the country was handling dioxin contamination cases in guar gum, an additive extracted from the guar bean. That report was fairly critical, saying India’s own investigation had been insufficient to provide conclusions.  (Economic Times,  India)

► India eyes $10 bn Africa deals

Resource-hungry India hopes to wrap up deals worth some 10 billion dollars with mineral-rich African states during a high-level business conclave in New Delhi next week, industry leaders said Thursday. The three-day meet, to be attended by 525 delegates from 33 African countries, is "the biggest such interaction between Indian and African states," according to the event organisers, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). "The aim is to have a mini-Africa for Indians to interact, establish ties and do business with," said Shipra Tripathi, who heads CII's Africa department.  (Economic Times,  India)

► India's exports to US by sea goes up 

India's exports to the US by sea-route rose to 14.19 billion dollars in 2007 from 12.64 billion dollars in the previous year, the Parliament was informed today. However, the growth rate in sea-route export declined last year to 12.21 per cent from 16.74 per cent in 2006, Minister of State for Commerce Jairam Ramesh told Lok Sabha in a written reply. GARLIC: In another reply, Ramesh said garlic bulbs imported from Pakistan were infected from pest and were recommended for deportation.  (Economic Times,  India)

► Sri Lanka: Cement Corporation to import cement from US company

The government is set to reach an agreement with a US based company to import cement at US$74 per metric ton for the Sri Lanka Cement Corporation (SLCC). The US company, American Global Partner (USA) Inc. is expected to supply over a period of 12 months at the US$74 per metric ton a total of 300,000 mlt of cement in 24 consignments. The decision came about following a Cabinet approval been granted after a Standard Cabinet Appointed Procurement Committee (SCAPC) was appointed to call for worldwide tenders to purchase cement for the state corporation.  (Daily Mirror,  Sri Lanka)

► Lankan bank to replicate Bangladesh experience of Islamic banking

A leading bank of Sri Lanka is going to replicate Bangladesh experience in introducing Islamic banking there to cater to the Muslims' growing demand for such banking, according to the visiting senior officials of the bank. "We're inspired by Bangladesh success in Islamic Shariah-based banking,” M Kiridaran, the head of the delegation and deputy chief executive officer of the Bank of Ceylon (BOC), told The Daily Star yesterday. He said, “We hope to introduce the Islamic financial services window in the BOC in the next three months."  (The Daily Star,  Bangladesh)

► Indebted small farmers in India get a reprieve

The Indian government is to cancel the entire debt of the country's small farmers in a giant scheme that will cost 600 billion rupees. The move is a centrepiece of India’s latest budget, with the government also increasing education spending by 20% and health funding by 15%. A farmer / Photo credit: BBC Widely seen as a populist budget ahead of elections due by May 2009, Delhi has also pledged to control food prices. The government also said it would keep up work.  (South Asia Oneworld,  India)

► Sri Lanka needs ‘agricultural renaissance’ 

Who is responsible for your right to food? The right to food is one of the priority fundamental human rights. Food is the number one concern of human kind. Health is a close second. These two are closely inter-related. Adequate nutrition is a determinant of health. The state is certainly responsible for your right to food. Sri Lanka has long been cited by development economists and public health specialists as a model low-income country which achieved extraordinary success in high life expectancy at birth, low infant mortality, high levels of literacy, particularly female literacy, and almost 100% school enrollment.  (South Asia Oneworld,  India)

► ADB: $1.5 biln in Asia need assistance to escape poverty

Despite the impressive progress made by Asia-Pacific nations over the past decade in economic growth, 1.5 billion people in the region still live on less than two U.S. dollars a day, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said on Thursday. The statement was made as ADB representatives are highlighting the continuing prevalence of poverty in the region during discussions over the replenishment of the Asian Development Fund, an endowment used to provide grants and low-interest loans to some of Asia and the Pacific's poorest nations. In recent years, the Asia-Pacific region has experienced sustained high growth rates, with average economic growth of about6 percent per year.  (English People,  China)

► WB to finalise assistance strategy for Sri Lanka

The Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) of the World Bank for Sri Lanka for the next three years will be finalised in June. Country Director World Bank in Sri Lanka, Naoko Ishii said they are now in the process of obtaining ideas as to how they would launch the CSA which would be for a period of three years. The main purpose of the World Bank’s CAS consultations to seek inputs from a wide spectrum of people and organisations in Sri Lanka to ensure that the World Bank’s priorities for development assistance to the country are aligned with the needs of the people and the Government’s priorities.  (Daily Mirror,  Sri Lanka)

► Policy prescriptions by the IMF  

Although countries not utilising IMF resources are not bound by its advice, it continues to analyse the economies of its members periodically with a view to offering policy prescriptions on various issues as a part of its mandate. According to the latest report, the IMF wants the new government of Pakistan to bring agriculture and services sectors into the tax net and reduce exemptions in order to tide over financial difficulties of the country. Talking about the overall budgetary situation, it asserts that "fiscal effort should rely primarily on strengthening revenue mobilisation substantially to reduce deficit.  (Business Recorder,  Pakistan)

► Nepal receives far less foreign aid in current fiscal year

Mar 14: Nepal received 2.37 billion Nepali rupees (some 37 million U.S. dollars) in foreign aid during the first seven months of 2007/08 fiscal year, as donors waiting for the government to come up with clear development priorities and commitments shied away from extending enough support to the country. According to The Kathmandu Post Friday's report, the assistance received was far less than what the government had anticipated mobilizing during the period.  The government, in the budget for the current fiscal year ending in mid-July, had set a target to realize foreign aid worth 44.82 billion rupees (some 700 million dollars), which formed over 81 per cent of the development budget.  (The Independent,  Bangladesh)

► Myanmar to launch ICT exhibition

Myanmar will launch a three-day information and communication technology (ICT) exhibition in Yangon in late this month to promote the development of the advanced technology, according to the organizer, the Myanmar Computer Federation (MCF), Friday. The Myanmar ICT Exhibition 2008, also co-sponsored by the Myanmar Computer Professionals Association and the Myanmar Computer Industrialists Association, is scheduled for March 21 to 23 at the Tatmadaw Convention Hall. According to the organizer, a total of 90 local and foreign companies will showcase accessories of computers, new technology for networking.  (English People,  China)