May 16 – Vietnam aims to boost exports to the Middle East and South Asia by US$2.3 billion, according to sources.

The figure is a 33 percent increase compared to last year.

For 2007, the country earned export revenues of US$230.5 million for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and US$201.8 million for Turkey.

The country’s exports to these regions include: rice, coffee, textiles, garments, footwear, plastics, electronic appliances, seafood, tea, rubber, coal and timber.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade wants current export revenues to reach US$326 million for the UAE, US$141 million for Egypt, US$299.8 for Turkey, US$236 million for India and US$184.9 million for South Africa.

Vietnam is also thinking of importing competitive goods from these regions like petroleum and chemicals from Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, textiles and garments from India, plus cotton and timber from nations in Africa.

Ministry trade officials said insufficient information on conducting trade in these regions have hampered improvement including difficulties in payment procedures and trade regulations.