TRADE agreements with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and India remain on the table but significant details still have to be worked out, a senior Trade department official said.

With regard to the UAE, an intent to pursue a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) was reached just year, Trade Assistant Secretary Allan Getty told reporters last week.

“[T]he next step is for us to work with the terms of reference or the scoping paper for the trade negotiation,” Gepty said. “Right now, we are still in the process of working things out with them.”

In February last year, then-Trade secretary Ramon Lopez and UAE Foreign Trade Minister Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi signed a statement announcing plans to pursue the CEPA following the conclusion of an Investment and Investment Promotion Agreement (IPPA).

At that time, the IPPA was described by the Trade department as an “important” pillar for realizing investments from the UAE, particularly from sovereign wealth funds with combined assets of over $1.6 trillion.

The wealth funds in turn would benefit from investing in the Philippines’ agriculture, energy, outsourcing, real estate and food/tourism/hospitality industries.

As for goods, Gepty said the Philippines was looking to provide the UAE with agricultural and industrial goods, halal products and services exports while eyeing a host of fresh and processed goods from the Gulf country.

With regard to India, meanwhile, Gepty said that both countries were continuing to work on a preferential trade deal. Both countries agreed to pursue the arrangement in 2020, which officials then described as “more practical” as it would lower/ eliminate tariffs on products of mutual interests.

“Agriculture is always at the top of our vested interests ... so we have to [the sector] optimize for the foreign market,” Gepty said.

“But of course, you [also have to]