Dear Subscriber

Welcome to the August edition of Wade Trade News - our exclusive, free monthly bulletin that keeps you up to date on important developments in international trade and opportunities you can take advantage of. In this issue you'll find information on what was (or wasn't) achieved at the G8 Summit, opportunities in Norway, Greece and Thailand - and in leather of all things - and two more very useful sites to help make international trading easier.

G8 Leaders Pledge To End Export Aid …. Eventually
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At last month's G8 Summit in Gleneagles, Scotland, world leaders pledged to end farm export aid and renewed their backing for a further phase of trade liberalisation under the so-called Doha Round of negotiations. However, they set no specific deadline, which disappointed other nations hoping for an end to this aid. Their communiqué announced 'In agriculture we are committed to substantially reducing trade-distorting domestic support and substantially improving market access.'. Meanwhile, ahead of the WTO (World Trade Organisation) mini-ministerial conference in Dalian, China, Chinese Trade Minister Bo Xilai urged WTO member states to eliminate all export aid by 2010.

An ending of farm export subsidies would benefit the agricultural industries and export potential of large, lower-cost countries such as China, India, Brazil and some African nations. You can get more information on what was discussed, and about what G8 does, on the official website at www.g8.gov.uk.


Norwegian Seafood Export Hits New Record
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The export of Norwegian seafood increased by 11% in the first half of this year, compared with the same period last year. Figures from the Seafood Export Council show that the export of Norwegian seafood has reached NOK14.2 billion already, including NOK1.4 billion to France alone. There was also a strong increase in exports to Russia, the Ukraine, China and the EU, most particularly to the UK, Poland and the Netherlands. By species, there were large increases in the export of herring, salmon, trout and whitefish.

The Norwegian Seafood Export Council website is at www.seafoodfromnorway.com. The Norway Post at www.norwaypost.no is a good English language site for news and information on Norway.

Greece Export Promotion Plan Unveiled
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Greek Economy and Finance Minister Giorgos Alogoskoufis has promised more dynamic promotion of Greek products abroad in order to lift exports from their present levels.

Alogoskoufis is implementing an eleven point plan, based on the Hellenic Export Promotion Organisation (OPE) becoming more active. The plan includes a survey that will determine priority markets; more finance for business delegations abroad - eight business delegations will travel this year to the US, Canada, United Arab Emirates, Japan, China, Poland, Russia and Egypt; more extensive promotion of traditional Greek exports including olive oil and new ones including high technology industries.
 
Greece has many small and medium sized enterprises which cannot, by themselves, devise and implement substantial promotional campaigns abroad. However, the aim is to encourage these enterprises to pool their resources and, with the help of OPE, tackle the larger world markets.

The Hellenic Export Promotion Organisation website is at www.hepo.gr. SEEurope (www.seeurope.net) is also a good site for news and business information covering south east Europe, including Greece.

Calculate Anything …. Instantly !
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Web-based calculators are pretty common now. It's easy to find a calculator that will convert temperatures or currencies for example. But where do you go if you're working on an import-export project and you need to convert more complex technical, scientific, commercial and industrial data? Here's where : The CSG Calculators and Converters website at www.csgnetwork.com/converters.html. Now this site is a little tricky to navigate at first but once you're familiar with it you'll find links to calculators that can help you convert almost anything to anything instantly. Whether you want to convert different worldwide measurements, temperatures, shoe sizes and much more complex data this is a handy site to know about.
 
Import Regulations Made Simple
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When you're setting up deals it can be difficult to get accurate, readily understandable information about the different import regulations imposed by different countries. But here's a site that provides exactly that - www.sme.tdctrade.com/ir/index.htm. This website is provided by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council and has information about import requirements for China, the USA, the European Union (EU), Canada, Japan and Australia with links to the Customs Department sites for the various countries, where you can get further information.

17% Thailand Export Growth Predicted
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Thailand's Finance Minister Somkid Jatusripitak said recently that he expects the country's exports to rise around 17% on year in the second half of 2005. In the first quarter alone, exports increased 12.4% on year to US$24.68 billion. Food exports have grown substantially, while production is also on the rise, he said. Thai exports rose 23% in 2004, boosting overall economic growth to 6.1%. Thailand's economy is heavily reliant on exports, with gross export value equivalent to around 60% of the country's GDP (gross domestic product).

Leather Industry Leads
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Ever thought about trading in leather? It's not quite up there with oil or gas, but it still is one of the most often-traded commodities imported and exported around the world and used in all kinds of products from clothes and shoes to upholstery and protective gear. Leatherbiz International Leather Industry Resources at Leatherbiz.com is an invaluable website if you're in, or would like to get involved in, the world leather industry. Most of leatherbiz.com is available free of charge. It includes a product and supplier database, a forum, a comprehensive worldwide event calendar and 'Reference Point' - providing information on the leather industry generally plus links to other useful sites and resources. The only charge made (US$25 per month, optional) is for exclusive industry news and market intelligence. Also, World Leather claims to be the world's number one magazine for the leather industry. You can find subscription details at www.worldleather.co.uk, although its content isn't available online.

What's Going On At Wadetrade.com  ?
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If you haven't visited our website at www.wadetrade.com recently - try it now. We're making changes and improvements all the time. There are details of all our courses, information on joining our World Trader's Club, lots of useful, free links for import-export and - just added - fascinating case histories of what fellow Wade World Traders are up to. Also, if you've only subscribed to this bulletin recently, you can access back issues of Wade Trade News direct from the site. Please drop in and visit us soon.... and let us know what you think.


Best Regards

Mark Hempshell
Editor