bilaterals.org logo
bilaterals.org logo

agriculture | farmers | food

Making free trade fair
15-Aug-2006
Ukrit Kungsawanich, a fruit grower in Rayong, was worried when he read in the news that a US company is trying to patent a drink made with mangosteen extract.
Malawian farmers union wary of EU trade deal
15-Aug-2006
Farmers in Malawi have warned government to tread carefully before endorsing the European Union’s Economic Partnership Agreement, saying signing the deal will put the country’s agricultural products at the risk of not finding the international market.
Executive committee is established to oversee Taiwan-Guatemala FTA
15-Aug-2006
n executive committee was established in Taipei yesterday to oversee the execution of a Taiwan-Guatemala free trade agreement (FTA) that took effect July 1.
Lost in statistics
13-Aug-2006 Bangkok Post
The figures show Thais are winning with free trade - yet many of the nation’s small farmers, struggling just to scrape by, are looking to lessons learned around the world.
Politics of corn loom for divided Mexico
9-Aug-2006 ABC News
The disputed election has raised tensions over a pending NAFTA deadline to halt corn and bean import tarriffs.
Guatemala to sue US for dumping
7-Aug-2006 Prensa Latina
After a month and five days of implementing the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with United States, Guatemala is suffering from this pact’s asymmetries and is suing the northern country for unfair competition.
Farmers in poorer southern region demand changes to free-trade treaty
7-Aug-2006 Charlotte Observer
Felipe Calderon’s contested, razor-thin victory in Mexico’s presidential election last month is likely to force his attention toward the underdeveloped south, where poor farmers want to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement.
US FTA to cause big drop in agriculture output: report
4-Aug-2006 Hankyoreh
A free trade pact with the United States is expected to cause South Korean agricultural output to fall by 1-2 trillion won (US$1.03-$2.07 billion), a report by a state-run think tank said Friday.
Expert: Keep Delaying CAFTA for DR
31-Jul-2006
Fernando Alvarez Bogaert, former Finances minister, said Friday that the validity of the Central American-Dominican Republic-US Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), put off for this month, could wreck national production if enacted.
Chinese Flower Power Hits Thai Growers
31-Jul-2006
On the misty hill slopes of northern Thailand the chill in the air encourages roses to grow to a size larger than apples. Hundreds of these large blooms, in colours ranging from red and crimson to orange and white, are harvested daily to feed the flower markets of Bangkok.
Zim defiant on Bippas
31-Jul-2006
Zimbabwe is not going to change its stance on Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreements (Bippas) that were violated under the country’s controversial land reform programme, a position that could further strain diplomatic relations with affected nations.
Fighting the US-South Korea free trade agreement
28-Jul-2006 S&L
Participants in the growing movement inside South Korea who are opposed to the proposed U.S.-South Korea Free Trade Agreement held demonstrations in Washington, D.C. during the first week of June while negotiations were being conducted.
Kenya: Horticulture industry in treaty plea
22-Jul-2006 AllAfrica.com
Kenya’s horticultural sector is appealing to the Government to lobby other east and southern Africa countries for agreement on the ongoing trade talks between the region and the European Union.
FTAs may not be worth their weight, says academic
20-Jul-2006 Bangkok Post
Thailand’s benefits from bilateral free trade agreements (FTAs) may not be worth the cost, according to an academic.
Dreaming of a different kind of FTA
19-Jul-2006 Hankyoreh
NGOs such as the Oxford Committee for Famine Relief suggest a new FTA as an alternative of unfair trade situations. The new FTA is not a free trade agreement, but rather a "fair trade agreement."
Panama upbeat on US free trade deal by year end
12-Jul-2006 ABC News
Panama could reach a free trade deal with the United States by the end of this year, despite lingering differences over US food safety, a senior negotiator said on Tuesday.
Korean bishops warn against US FTA
11-Jul-2006 CathNews
In a message for the Church’s Farmers’ Sunday this week, Korean bishops and farmers have warned against the destruction of the local farming sector as a result of a Free Trade Agreement with the US.
FTA Sanction Betrays Peru Farming
4-Jul-2006
Antolin Huascar, president of the National Coordination Office against the Free Trade Agreement, branded the ratification of that deal with the US as treason to the Peruvian farming world.
WTO chief Pascal Lamy upbeat about global trade talks
3-Jul-2006
The World Trade Organisation chief Pascal Lamy is upbeat about global trade talks, with the U.S. having indicated that it will go further to cut trade distorting farm subsidies. He is also expecting better offers from all the other major players in the round, including the European Union and the Group of 20 that includes India, Brazil and China, during the mini-ministerial conference next week in Geneva.
Canada urges S Korea to remove beef, pork tariffs
3-Jul-2006
Canada has urged South Korea to remove tariffs on beef and pork as part of envisioned bilateral free trade agreement (FTA), government officials said Monday.