Aiming to enhance bilateral trade with India, Morocco Foreign Trade Minister AbdellatifMaazouz today sought supply of rice and wheat from India, which is sitting on huge stocks of the food grains. India has banned exports of wheat and non-basmati rice. However, the country has shipped small quantity of wheat and rice via diplomatic route. "Our trade with India is not at same level. We want to push them because we believe we have lot of synergy between our economies," said Maazouz after meeting Food Minister K V Thomas, here.

Doha Round negotiators have met their deadline for the publishing of draft texts, the release of which director general Pascal Lamy has said allows World Trade Organization members to consider the entire Doha package. However, while Lamy praised the scope of the documents, he also warned of the issues continuing to divide negotiators, and labelled the situation "grave".

JAKARTA, April 26 (Xinhua) -- The Indonesian government scrapped 182 import duties for raw material and processing equipment, aimed at helping the development of five industrial sectors, a senior official at the financial ministry said here on Tuesday. Bambang Brodjonegoro, head of fiscal policy-making at the ministry said that such a policy that reduces the import tariffs from 5 percent to zero, would greatly help basic chemical, food, machinery, electronics and ship dockyard industries in the country.

SEOUL, April 26 (Xinhua) -- Fishery products imported from areas other than Japan have been gaining popularity among South Korean customers anxious about radiation poisoning, local media reported Tuesday. Sales of saury and mackerel between March 22 and April 24 have skyrocketed 204 percent and 80 percent, respectively, at Lotte Mart, one of South Korea's top three retail chains, compared to the same period last year, Yonhap News Agency reported, citing industry sources.

A joint statement released after a meeting in Tokyo of trade ministers from Japan, China and South Korea stated that they had agreed to accelerate the work of a current joint study on a tripartite free trade agreement (FTA). Firstly, following the earthquake and tsunami of March 11, the ministers expressed the belief that Japan’s recovery, and the recovery of Asia as a whole, could best be served by securing the maintenance and development of a free and open trade system, and the prompt and smooth flow of goods, in the region.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has proposed creating a new fund to promote and support Vietnamese tra fish exports. Under the plan, tra fish (pangasius) exporters will contribute 1-2 US cents on every kilogram of fish they sell to the fund, which will also receive local and international donations. The fund will be used to promote the fish in the US and EU markets and develop strategies to protect Vietnamese exporters against false safety allegations and unfair trade barriers.

The U.S. could soon face a World Trade Organization dispute settlement panel if owners and operators of illegal, offshore gambling websites follow through on threats made recently. According to Reuters, the government of Antigua, which had three illegal poker sites shut down, is considering action.

SEOUL, April 25 (Xinhua) -- South Korean President Lee Myung- bak and Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard reiterated Monday their resolve to conclude negotiations for a two-way trade pact, Lee's office said. "The leaders agreed that negotiations on an Australia-Korea free trade agreement were now in their final stage and reaffirmed their joint goal to conclude the negotiations this year, “a joint press statement said.

MOSCOW, Apr 25, 2011 (IPS) - After almost 18 years of unsuccessful but persistent struggle to join the World Trade Organization (WTO), experts say that efforts by Russian authorities have not been enough and have often lacked political will. "Russia’s struggle to join the WTO has been because Russia has had great difficulty in deciding whether it really wants to accept normal WTO disciplines," Michael Emerson, a visiting lecturer at the Moscow State Institute for Foreign Affairs, told IPS. 

After a series of heated exchanges, Russia and Georgia are to resume their Swiss-mediated discussion of Russian admission to the World Trade Organization. It has been confirmed that, on April 28-29, Russian and Georgian officials will meet in Bern, Switzerland, for the latest round of talks on Russia's attempt to enter the WTO, an organization in which Georgia is already a member.