International Resources: Related Links

Useful web sites:

International addresses and salutations: http://www.bspage.com/address.html

International telephone dialing codes: http://www.bspage.com/inttel.html

International business etiquette for the Internet: http://www.bspage.com/inttel.html

Business Culture Guides for the international traveler: http://www.executiveplanet.com

Conversions for measures, weights, speed, volume, wind chill, and much more: http://www.megaconverter.com/Mega2

City guide with maps pictures, weather and climate information, attractions, restaurants and travel tips for about 140 cities worldwide: http://www.worldexecutive.com/cityguides/

Country statistics from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (browse by ‘Countries’, click on a country, and then click on OECD statistical profile to the right of the screen). http://www.oecd.org

Country profiles and resources: http://fita.org/countries/index.html

World Bank data on the investment climate in 71 countries: http://www.enterprisesurveys.org

Currency conversion:

• www.xe.com for tables and conversion
• www.xe.com/pca for small conversion screen you can use while viewing other pages.

World Trade Organization Overview
To help its members understand the role of the WTO in the global marketplace, PMA has prepared this overview document.

Codex Alimentarius Overview
The Codex Alimentarius Commission created in 1963 by the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) of the United Nations and the World Health Organization (WHO) oversees the Codex code.

The Mexican Economy: Looking to 2007
This presentation by Rabobank details the current and near future state of the Mexican overall and agricultural economy.

Emerging Market Opportunities and Challenges from the Rise of Supermarkets
This presentation was given by Thomas Reardon of Michigan State University to the U.S. Department of Agriculture regarding opportunities in emerging markets. This presentation gives important insights for any exporter wanting to expand into emerging markets.

International Maximum Residue Limits Database provides users with a list of MRL tolerances by active ingredient to desired export destinations. Crop, pesticide active ingredient and pesticide type queries for over 300 fruit, vegetable and nut commodities are covered, as are 272 pesticides approved by the EPA for use on those commodities in the U.S. MRL data are included from 70 countries, the European Union and the Codex Alimentarius Commission (Codex). Each country included in the database represents, at a minimum, $1 million in annual export revenue for U.S. horticultural commodities.

The International Pesticide & Application Database (IPAD) helps users determine rates and limitations on the usage of agricultural pesticides.IPAD is a crop specific database that cross references pesticides by chemical brand name, method of application, rates and frequency of application, as well as pre- and post-harvest interval.The database contains information for the U.S., Mexico, and Canada, 42 crops, 1400 active ingredients, 29 pesticide types, and 14 different timings resulting in nearly 24 million combinations.This IPAD system provides chemical use practices in order to ensure compliance with a target country’s MRL standards and provides practical guidance to maximize the benefit to the U.S. producer.

Trade for America represents a wide range of companies and trade associations from virtually every sector of the U.S. economy. The Coalition believes renewal of trade negotiating authority is vital to ensure that American business, agriculture, workers and consumers continue to benefit from free trade.