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agriculture | farmers | food

NZ-China agricultural agreement signed
25-Apr-2013 Sunlive
NZ Minister for Primary Industries Nathan Guy has signed a Strategic Plan on Promoting Agricultural Cooperation between New Zealand and China.
Japan’s rice lobby visits Capitol Hill to fight free trade pact
25-Apr-2013 Washington Post
Rice is a staple food in Japan, but it is also a cultural staple — so much so, say opponents of a 12-nation­ free-trade agreement, that the values learned through rice farming keep the streets of Tokyo safe and the nation stable.
Cars and cattle clash on Japan free trade agreement
19-Apr-2013 The Australian
Australia’s meat exporters believe they are being sacrificed for the benefit of the car industry as negotiations for the Australia-Japan free trade agreement draw closer to conclusion.
China FTA abandoned
19-Apr-2013 The Australian
The Gillard government has abandoned a comprehensive free-trade agreement with China to focus on a "trimmed-down" agriculture deal, according to The Australian
Free trade agreements no farm saviour, analysts warn
18-Apr-2013 ABC
FTAs will result in political agreements which won’t bring substantial tariff reductions on Australian agricultural goods
India-EU FTA: Dairy sector seeks insulation
15-Apr-2013 Hindu Business Line
India’s dairy industry, led by the country’s largest milk cooperative that owns the Amul brand, has opposed the proposed India-EU free trade agreement on the ground that it would led to subsidised dairy products from Europe flooding India.
Signs of progress as FTA talks loom
8-Apr-2013
The European Commission will begin a week-long free trade agreement (FTA) negotiation with Thailand in Brussels in late May, the first round of official talks, with the hope of reaching an agreement in 18 months.
Japan, Australia achieve FTA breakthrough on farm products
8-Apr-2013
Japan and Australia have reached a broad agreement on how to deal with farm products as they continue negotiations on a bilateral free-trade agreement, government sources said Sunday.
Amul requests for a relook at EU-India FTA
27-Mar-2013 Times of India
India’s largest dairy co-operative - Amul - has requested the commerce ministry to relook at the EU-India Free Trade Agreement.
Hokkaido predicts TPP will halve output of farm, forestry and fishery products
25-Mar-2013 Minaichi
Hokkaido, Japan’s largest breadbasket prefecture, says its production of agricultural, forestry and fishery products will be halved to 524.1 billion yen if the country joins the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade talks and all relevant tariffs are lifted.
Japan may open beef in TPP trade talks, former adviser says
15-Mar-2013 Bloomberg
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe may sacrifice barriers protecting Japan’s beef and wheat farmers as he joins the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade talks, said a former government adviser on farm policy.
Farmers rally in Tokyo against Japan’s entry into TPP talks
12-Mar-2013
Japan’s largest farm group rallied Tuesday in Tokyo to protest against the government’s entry into the U.S.-led Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade talks.
Cargill settles NAFTA dispute with Mexico
22-Feb-2013 Reuters
Cargill has reached a settlement with Mexico in a dispute that resulted in a $77 million arbitration award for the US agribusiness company
CETA Investor-State Dispute Settlement process “anti-democratic, unnecessary and unfair,” says NFU
16-Feb-2013 National Farmers Union
The National Farmers Union is among the labour, environmental, Indigenous, women’s, academic, health sector and fair trade organizations representing over 65 million people from both sides of the Atlantic that have signed a joint statement demanding that Canada and the EU stop negotiating an excessive and controversial investor rights chapter in the proposed Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA).
India should review FTAs to boost farm exports: CACP chief
6-Feb-2013
India should review Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) that it has entered into with ASEAN, Japan and Korea to boost farm exports, according to a discussion paper co-authored by CACP chief Ashok Gulati.
Out of the frying pan...into trade liberalisation: SAFTA a disaster for Pakistan’s agriculture sector
28-Jan-2013 Express Tribune
The South Asia Free Trade Agreement (Safta) appears to be a ‘disaster’ for Pakistan’s agricultural sector and is backed only by the industrial lobby.
MFN status to Pakistan remains fruitless for agri sector: USAID
16-Jan-2013
The Most Favoured Nation status to Pakistan could not prove instrumental in increasing agriculture exports to India, observed a report sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Mexico finds unlikely allies in trade fight
27-Dec-2012 NY Times
As tomato growers in Florida and some other states fight a 16-year-old agreement that they contend allows farmers in Mexico to export tomatoes at a price below their costs, the Mexican farmers are finding allies in the United States.
SRA wants sugar quota allocation from Japan
23-Dec-2012
The government is asking Japan that Filipino sugar exporters be given a regular quota of 150,000-200,000 metric tons per year under the Philippines-Japan Economic Partnership Agreement (PJEPA).
Ag coalition says US-EU FTA must include agriculture
16-Nov-2012 NPPC
A coalition of US food and agricultural organizations led by the National Pork Producers Council reiterated that any US-EU FTA deal must include agriculture and that the EU must address non-tariff trade barriers.