File photo of containers at a seaport in Jakarta. (Leolintang/iStock/Getty Images)

Canada, Indonesia launch trade pact talks

First round of negotiations expected later this year

Canada has formally declared it will start negotiations this year on a trade pact with Indonesia, a move ag exporters hope will stabilize and strengthen their market access to the Asia-Pacific region. Canada’s Trade Minister Mary Ng and her Indonesian counterpart Muhammad Lutfi on Sunday declared the launch of negotiations on a comprehensive economic partnership

The flags of countries who are members of the AEC (ASEAN economic community).

ASEAN trade pact looms as Canada explores bilateral deals

The smaller deals are seen as building blocks for a larger regional agreement

Canada continues to pursue a multilateral free trade agreement with Southeast Asian nations, and those involved with negotiations say bilateral deals in the region could lead to larger pacts. The pursuit of a free trade deal with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), a block of 10 member states, began three years ago but


Indonesia to import cattle, beef to plug domestic supply gap

Indonesia will import 502,000 cattle and 85,500 tonnes of beef to help plug a supply gap of meat in the domestic market, Fadjar Sumping Tjatur Rasa, an Agriculture Ministry director said Jan. 28. In addition, Indonesia is also planning to issue import permits for 100,000 tonnes of Brazilian beef and water buffalo meat from India,

File photo of snacks, produce and assorted street food loaded on a motorbike in Bali, Indonesia. (Lina Moiseienko/iStock/Getty Images)

Canada consulting at home toward Indonesia trade deal

Possibility of broader Southeast Asian pact also looms

Continuing to seek out free trade deals in the Asia-Pacific region, Canada has launched public consultations on the merits of a potential bilateral pact with Indonesia. “Deepening trade ties with Indonesia would benefit Canadian businesses of all sizes and lead to economic growth and prosperity for years to come,” International Trade Minister Mary Ng said




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Indonesia plans cloud seeding effort to avoid crop failure

Jakarta | Reuters – Indonesia is preparing to carry out cloud seeding in an effort to trigger rainfall to prevent harvest failure and forest fire, the disaster mitigation agency’s spokesman said on Monday. The agency’s data shows that on July 22 about 20,269 hectares of agricultural land were at risk of harvest failure because of

Vanilla farmer Jao Nasaina holds a spear and a handmade gun as he patrols at his plantation, to guard the crop against thieves, in Ambavala, near Andapa in the Sava region of Madagascar on July 14, 2018. (Photo: Reuters/Clarel Faniry Rasoanaivo)

Spice maker seeks path to make vanilla milkshakes cheaper

Chicago/Antananarivo, Madagascar | Reuters — A kilo of vanilla beans costs more than a kilo of silver. Cultivated painstakingly over years from an orchid plant, vanilla is the second most expensive spice in the world, after saffron. In less than five years, the wholesale price has risen nearly 500 per cent, partly because of growing