The Lao government has set a target to join the World Trade Organisation (WTO) by 2008.
To that end, the Lao government has instructed ministries and key sectors that are directly related to WTO negotiations to hold seminars, inquire into the field and build their development strategies to meet the demand on global integration.
The agriculture and forestry sector will play an important role in the preparation for the country's WTO accession because it makes up 50 percent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP).
The WTO now has 150 member countries. Viet Nam is the newest one.
