WADE TRADE NEWS
Volume 5, Issue 5 : May 2006

Dear Subscriber

Welcome to the May edition of Wade Trade News - Wade World Trade's own monthly bulletin bringing you news on developments and opportunities in international trade that are worthy of your attention. Read on now for really useful information and sites for trading with Morocco, the UAE, India and Vietnam, lots of useful leads if you'd like to import-export baby products and a site to help you understand the important cultural differences when doing business internationally.

Maybe You'd Like To Trade With Morocco ?
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For many years Morocco has suffered from a weak economy based on agriculture. However, over the last five years the economy has begun to expand, growing by 6.8% in 2004 and GDP has reached US$37.3 billion. The Government has an ambitious strategy known as 'Vision 2010' aiming to quadruple tourist numbers to 10 million by 2010 and create 600,000 new tourist jobs. Projects include new motorways, airports and creating six new purpose-built coastal resorts. Morocco has a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the USA which took effect this January, allowing for 98% of trade in consumer and industrial products to be tariff free. An FTA with the EU will take effect in 2010.

As the traditional languages of Morocco are Arabic, Spanish and French (French is used in business) there aren't yet many reliable sites in English. However, try this page, which is published by the United States-Morocco Free Trade Agreement for, contacts : www.moroccousafta.com/links.htm. (babelfish.altavista.com could help you with translations!)

Small Country …. Big Potential ?
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The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is, in geographic terms, a tiny nation. But this Gulf state has an open economy with a high per capita income and a large annual trade surplus. It is aiming to diversify its economy away from oil. Dubai is currently undergoing a property boom and the country is negotiating a Free Trade Agreement with the USA. 
 
Here are two handy sites if you're interested in exploring the possibilities : Gulfnews at www.gulfnews.com has the latest news from the region, plus feature articles, columnists, and more. Also try : www.export.gov/middleeast/country_information/unitedarabemirates. This page from the US Commercial Service's Export.gov portal will give you an outline of trade prospects with the UAE plus a useful country commercial guide with market research, trade leads, and information on the economy.

Big Profits From Tiny Consumers !
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Babies might be the tiniest consumers around in physical terms, but they pack a real punch in terms of the monetary value of goods they consume. In the USA alone, baby products are a US$7 billion industry. Many baby products are small, light and easy to ship, are manufactured cheaply in low cost countries in the Far East and sell for high prices in the west.

Here are some useful sources of information if you're interested in getting started in this product line : The Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association Inc. (JPMA) is a North American trade organisation representing 95% of the US industry. JPMA, formed in 1962 with 29 industry companies, has grown to include more than 325 companies in the USA, Canada and Mexico. You can find its site at : www.jpma.org. A good UK based site for information on marketing is Baby Marketing at www.baby-marketing.co.uk. We also found a website with literally hundreds of (mainly US based) suppliers at www.firstbabymall.com. There are so many contacts here that we couldn't possibly check them all, but chances are you'll find some great ideas and leads.

India Exports Exceed US$100 Billion
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India recently announced that it will be aiming for 20% growth in exports in 2006/2007 as demand from traditional and new markets increases. Exports from India, now Asia's third largest economy, reached US$101 billion for the first time ever in the last financial
year, which ended on 31 March, Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath said recently. Nath told a business seminar that exports grew 25% following robust demand from traditional markets in the United States and Europe, while imports surged 32% to US$140 billion.

Booming exports have boosted the Government's confidence that India can double its share of global trade from just 1% by 2009 - although it falls far short of China which had exports worth US$55 billion in February alone. Nath unveiled a series of measures to boost trade including incentives for the gem and jewellery trade, auto parts and aviation to enable India to win market share from other Asian countries. However, trade analysts have said that India must also make extensive infrastructure improvements to achieve its export aims.

Vietnam Export Potential Very Impressive
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United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) representative in Vietnam, Philippe R. Scholtes, has announced that the progress Vietnam has made on the export front is 'very impressive'.

At a press conference to announce the 2006 awards for Vietnamese scientific and technical creations held in Hanoi recently, Scholtes said that it is very unusual for a country like Vietnam, which has a GDP of US$600, to have such a high proportion of manufactured products in its exports. He said 'Developing countries usually have a low level of income per capita and tend to export mostly agricultural products. But in Vietnam, over 70% of the total exports are actually coming from manufacturing industry. This means that Vietnamese enterprises have the capacity to produce in conditions that are competitive to penetrate into foreign markets.' He also commended the efforts that Vietnam has made in building a legal system that is compliant with WTO and international standards

Here's a great site for Vietnam business and trade news that we highly recommend : The Vietnam News Agency (VNA) at www.vnanet.vn (available in various languages - click on English). We also found some interesting-looking contacts on the Vietnam Trade Catalogue at www.info.vn.

Recommended Website : Kwintessential Country Profiles
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Whatever country you're trading with, it's important to know something about the business and cultural background and the way things are done there if you're to make good contacts and conclude successful deals. Countries can vary more than you might think - Japan and South Korea or Argentina and Brazil, for example, might be neighbours but they are quite different culturally.  Kwintessential Country Profiles at www.kwintessential.co.uk/resources/country-profiles.html is a great site whenever you need to check up on a new country. Within the site there are profiles of dozens of countries, with information about language, religion, family values, meeting etiquette, dining, dress, negotiating, and much more - there are even useful phrases!
 
Take Advantage Of All That Wade Can Offer
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We like to send you this free monthly newsletter with our compliments - but don't forget that the trade leads you receive here are just a very small selection of what Wade World Trade can do for you. Our products and services include professional self-study courses, manuals, advice, information, online resources and worldwide trade and business contacts - more or less everything you need to start up or expand your import-export business. To find out more, visit us at our website at www.wadetrade.com - it's open 24/7.

Best Regards

Mark Hempshell
Editor