[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 1 (Monday, January 3, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 113-115]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-34057]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Foreign Agricultural Service
Announcement of the Foreign Market Development Cooperator Program
for Fiscal Year 2001
AGENCY: Foreign Agricultural Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: This notice announces the availability of funds for the Fiscal
Year 2001 Foreign Market Development Cooperator (Cooperator) Program.
DATES: All applications must be received by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard
Time, March 13, 2000.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Marketing Operations Staff, Foreign
Agricultural Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, STOP 1042, 1400
Independence Ave., SW., Washington, DC 20250, (202) 720-4327.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Introduction
The Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) announces that applications
are being accepted for participation in the Fiscal Year 2001 Cooperator
program. The program is designed to create, expand, and maintain
foreign markets for United States agricultural commodities and products
through cost-share assistance. Financial assistance under the
Cooperator program will be made available on a competitive basis and
applications will be reviewed against the evaluation criteria contained
herein. The Cooperator program is administered by personnel of FAS.
Under the Cooperator program, FAS enters into agreements with
nonprofit U.S. trade organizations that have the broadest possible
producer representation of the commodity being promoted and gives
priority to those organizations that are nationwide in membership and
scope. Cooperator program agreements involve the promotion of
agricultural commodities on a generic basis and may not involve
activities targeted directly toward consumers. The program generally
operates on a reimbursement basis.
Authority
The Cooperator program is authorized by Title VII of the
Agricultural Trade Act of 1978, 7 U.S.C. 5721, et seq. Cooperator
program regulations appear at 7 CFR part 1550.
Eligible Applicants
To participate in the Cooperator program, an applicant must be a
nonprofit U.S. agricultural trade organization.
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Available Funds
$27.5 million may be obligated to eligible Cooperator program
applicants.
Application Process
To be considered for the Cooperator program, an applicant must
submit to FAS information required by the Cooperator program
regulations set forth in 7 CFR part 1550. Incomplete applications and
applications that do not otherwise conform to this announcement will
not be accepted for review.
We also point out that FAS administers various other agricultural
export assistance programs, including the Cooperator program, the
Market Access Program (MAP), Cochran Fellowships, the Emerging Markets
Program, the Quality Samples Program, Section 108 foreign currency
program, and several Export Credit Guarantee programs. Organizations
which are interested in applying for Cooperator program funds are
encouraged to submit their requests using the Unified Export Strategy
(UES) format. This allows interested entities to submit a consolidated
and strategically coordinated single proposal that incorporates
requests for funding and recommendations for virtually all FAS
marketing programs, financial assistance programs, and market access
programs. The suggested UES format encourages applicants to examine the
constraints or barriers to trade they face, identify activities which
would help overcome such impediments, consider the entire pool of
complementary marketing tools and program resources, and establish
realistic export goals. Applicants are not required, however, to use
the UES format.
Organizations can submit applications in the UES format by two
methods. The first allows an applicant to submit information directly
to FAS through data entry screens at a specially designed UES
application Internet site. FAS highly recommends applying via the
Internet, as this format virtually eliminates paperwork and expedites
the FAS processing and review cycle. Also, by using the Internet,
applicants currently participating in the 2000 Cooperator program will
not need to enter historical information as it will appear
automatically in the data entry screens. Applicants also have the
option of submitting electronic versions (along with two paper copies)
of their applications to FAS on diskette.
Applicants planning to use the Internet-based system must contact
the Marketing Operations Staff of FAS at (202) 720-4327 to obtain site
access information. The Internet-based application, including step-by-
step instructions for its use, is located at the following URL address:
http://www.fas.usda.gov/cooperators.html.
Applicants who choose to submit applications on diskette can
download the UES handbook, including the suggested application format
and instructions, from the following URL address: http://
www.fas.usda.gov/mos/ues/unified.html. A UES handbook may also be
obtained by contacting the Marketing Operations Staff at (202) 720-
4327.
All Cooperator program applicants, whether or not applying via the
Internet or diskette, must also submit by March 13, 2000, via hand
delivery or U.S. mail, an original signed certification statement as
specified in 7 CFR section 1485.13(a)(2)(i)(G) and 7 CFR
1550.20(a)(14), respectively. The UES handbook contains an acceptable
certification format.
Any organization which is not interested in applying for the
Cooperator program or the MAP but would like to request assistance
through one of the other programs mentioned, should contact the
Marketing Operations Staff at (202) 720-4327.
Review Process and Allocation Criteria
FAS allocates funds in a manner that effectively supports the
strategic decision-making initiatives of the Government Performance and
Results Act (GPRA) of 1993. In deciding whether a proposed project will
contribute to the effective creation, expansion, or maintenance of
foreign markets, FAS seeks to identify a clear, long-term agricultural
trade strategy by market or product and a program effectiveness time
line against which results can be measured at specific intervals using
quantifiable product or country goals. These performance indicators are
part of FAS' resource allocation strategy to fund applicants which can
demonstrate performance based on a long-term strategic plan and address
the performance measurement objectives of the GPRA.
Following is a description of the FAS process for reviewing
applications and the criteria for allocating available Cooperator
program funds.
(1) Phase 1--Sufficiency Committee and FAS Divisional Review
Applications received by the closing date will be reviewed by FAS
to determine the eligibility of the applicants and the completeness of
the applications. These requirements appear at Sec. 1550.14 and
Sec. 1550.20 of the Cooperator program regulations. Applications which
meet the application requirements will then be further evaluated by the
applicable FAS Commodity Division. The Divisions will review each
application against the criteria listed in Sec. 1550.21 and
Sec. 1550.22 of the Cooperator program regulations. The purpose of this
review is to identify meritorious proposals and to recommend an
appropriate funding level for each application based upon these
criteria.
(2) Phase 2--Competitive Review
Meritorious applications will then be passed on to the office of
the Deputy Administrator, Commodity and Marketing Programs, for the
purpose of allocating available funds among the applicants.
Applications which pass the Divisional Review will compete for funds on
the basis of the following allocation criteria (the number in
parentheses represents a percentage weight factor). Data used in the
calculations for contribution levels, past export performance and past
demand expansion performance will cover not more than a 6-year period,
to the extent such data is available.
(a) Contribution Level (40)
The applicant's 6-year average share (1996-2001) of all
contributions (contributions may include cash and goods and services
provided by U.S. entities in support of foreign market development
activities) compared to
The applicant's 6-year average share (1996-2001) of all
Cooperator marketing plan budgets.
(b) Past Export Performance (20)
The 6-year average share (1995-2000) of the value of
exports promoted by the applicant compared to
The applicant's 6-year average share (1995-2000) of all
Cooperator marketing plan budgets plus a 6-year average share (1994-
1999) of MAP program ceiling levels and a 6-year average share (1994-
99) of foreign overhead provided for co-location within a U.S.
agricultural trade office.
(c) Past Demand Expansion Performance (20)
The 6-year average share (1995-2000) of the total value of
world trade of the commodities promoted by the applicant compared to
The applicant's 6-year average share (1995-2000) of all
Cooperator marketing plan budgets plus a 6-year average share (1994-99)
of MAP program ceiling levels and a 6-year average share (1994-99) of
foreign overhead provided for co-location within a U.S. agricultural
trade office.
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(d) Future Demand Expansion Goals (10)
The projected total dollar value of world trade of the
commodities being promoted by the applicant for the year 2006 compared
to
The applicant's requested funding level.
(e) Accuracy of Past Demand Expansion Projections (10)
The actual dollar value share of world trade of the
commodities being promoted by the applicant for the year 1999 compared
to
The applicant's past projected share of world trade of the
commodities being promoted by the applicant for the year 1999, as
specified in the 1999 Cooperator program application.
The Commodity Divisions' recommended funding level for each
applicant is converted to a percentage of the total Cooperator program
funds available and multiplied by the total weight factor to determine
the amount of funds allocated to each applicant.
Closing Date for Applications
All Internet-based applications must be properly submitted by 5
p.m. Eastern Standard Time, March 13, 2000. Signed certification
statements also must be received by that time at one of the addresses
listed below.
All applications on diskette (with two accompanying paper copies
and a signed certification statement) and any other applications must
be received by 5 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, March 13, 2000, at one of
the following addresses:
Hand Delivery (including FedEx, DHL, UPS, etc.): U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Foreign Agricultural Service, Marketing Operations Staff,
Room 4932-S, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20250-1042.
U.S. Postal Delivery: Marketing Operations Staff, STOP 1042, 1400
Independence Ave., SW., Washington, DC 20250-1042.
Dated: December 28, 1999.
Timothy J. Galvin,
Administrator, Foreign Agricultural Service.
[FR Doc. 99-34057 Filed 12-30-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-10-P
