[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 31 (Tuesday, February 17, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7750-7752]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-3873]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Foreign Agricultural Service
RIN 0551-AA26
Announcement of the Foreign Market Development Cooperator Program
for FY 1999
AGENCY: Foreign Agricultural Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: This notice announces the availability of funds for the Fiscal
Year 1999 Foreign Market Development Cooperator (Cooperator) Program.
DATES: All applications must be received by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight
Savings Time, April 20, 1998.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Marketing Operations Staff, Foreign Agricultural Service, U.S.
Department of Agriculture, STOP 1042, 1400 Independence Ave., S.W.,
Washington, D.C. 20250-1042, (202) 720-4327.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Introduction
The Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) announces that applications
are being accepted for participation in the Fiscal Year 1999 Cooperator
program. The program is intended to create, expand and maintain foreign
markets for United States agricultural commodities and products. FAS
administers the Cooperator program and provides cost share assistance
to eligible trade organizations to implement approved market
development activities. Financial assistance under this program will be
made available on a competitive basis and applications will be reviewed
against the evaluation criteria contained herein.
Background
Under the Cooperator program, FAS enters into Market Development
Project Agreements with nonprofit U.S. trade organizations. FAS enters
into these agreements with those 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. Program participants may not,
during the term of their agreement with FAS, make export sales of the
agricultural commodity being promoted or charge fees for facilitating
an export sale if promotional activities designed to result in that
specific sale are supported by Cooperator program funds.
Market Development Project Agreements involve the promotion of
agricultural commodities on a generic basis and, therefore, do not
involve activities targeted directly toward individual consumers.
Approved activities contribute to the maintenance or growth of demand
for the agricultural commodities and generally address long-term
foreign import constraints by focusing on matters such as:
Reducing infra-structural or historical market
impediments;
Improving processing capabilities;
Modifying codes and standards; and
Identifying new markets or new applications or uses for
the agricultural commodity or product in the foreign market.
Authority
The Cooperator program is authorized by Title VII of the
Agricultural Trade Act of 1978, 7 U.S.C. 5721, et seq. Program
regulations appear at 7 CFR part 1550.
Application Process
The FAS administers various agricultural export assistance
programs, including the Cooperator program, the Market Access Program
(MAP), Cochran Fellowships, the Emerging Markets Program, Section 108,
and several Export Credit Guarantee programs. Until now, organizations
interested in receiving assistance under any of these FAS-administered
programs were asked to submit their requests at varying times
throughout the year. In an effort to facilitate the strategic planning
process of Cooperator program applicant organizations, as well as that
of the Federal government, FAS has unified and simplified the
application process for its agricultural export assistance programs.
Beginning with this announcement, organizations which are
interested in applying for Cooperator program funds will have the
opportunity to incorporate multiple requests for assistance into a
single Unified Export Strategy (UES) proposal. The suggested UES format
permits the submission of a consolidated and strategically coordinated
proposal including not only Cooperator program applications, but also
requests for assistance under virtually all other FAS marketing
programs, financial assistance programs, and market access programs.
The suggested UES framework 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.
[[Page 7751]]
The UES handbook, including the suggested format, instructions, and
a sample application, may be obtained in a paper copy or on a diskette
by contacting the Marketing Operations Staff at (202) 720-4327, or it
can be downloaded from the FAS Home Page at the following URL address:
http://www.fas.usda.gov/agexport/ues/unified.html.
In order to be considered for the Cooperator program, an applicant
must submit to FAS information related to the allocation criteria
considered by FAS as described in this notice. Incomplete applications
and applications that do not otherwise conform to this announcement
will not be accepted for review. Paper applications must be signed and
submitted, via hand delivery or U.S. mail, in triplicate form (an
original and two copies); electronic applications can be submitted via
electronic mail, facsimile, or on a diskette. Anyone choosing to submit
an application electronically must also submit, via hand delivery or
U.S. mail, an original signed certification statement as included in
the UES handbook. Any organization which is not interested in applying
for the Cooperator program 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, consistent
with the strategic objectives of the United States Department of
Agriculture, and address the performance measurement objectives of the
GPRA.
FAS considers a number of factors when reviewing proposed projects.
These factors include:
The ability of the organization to provide an experienced
U.S.-based staff with technical and international trade expertise to
ensure adequate development, supervision, and execution of the proposed
project;
The organization's willingness to contribute resources,
including cash and goods and services of the U.S. industry and foreign
third parties;
The conditions or constraints affecting the level of U.S.
exports and market share for the agricultural commodities and products;
The degree to which the proposed project is likely to
contribute to the creation, expansion, or maintenance of foreign
markets; and
The degree to which the strategic plan is coordinated with
other private or U.S. government-funded market development projects.
Following is a description of the FAS process for reviewing
applications and the criteria for allocating available funds.
(1) Phase I--Sufficiency Committee 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.
(2) Phase 2--FAS Divisional Review
Applications which meet the application procedures will then be
further evaluated by the applicable FAS Commodity Division. The
Divisions will recommend funding levels for each applicant based on a
review of the applications against the factors described above. The
purpose of this review is to identify meritorious proposals and to
suggest an appropriate funding level for each application based upon
these factors.
(3) Phase 3--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 a available.
(a) Contribution Level (40)
The applicant's 6-year average share (1994-99) 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 (1994-99) of all
Cooperator marketing plan budgets.
(b) Past Export Performance (20)
The 6-year average share (1993-98) of the value of exports
promoted by the applicant compared to
The applicant's 6-year average share (1993-98) of all
Cooperator marketing plan budgets plus a 6-year average share (1992-97)
of MAP program ceiling levels and a 6-year average share (1992-97) 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 (1993-98) of the total value of
world trade of the commodities promoted by the applicant compared to
The applicant's 6-year average share (1993-98) of all
Cooperator marketing plan budgets plus a 6-year average share (1992-97)
of MAP program ceiling levels and a 6-year average share (1992-97) of
foreign overhead provided for co-location within a U.S. agricultural
trade office.
(d) Future Demand Expansion Goals (20)
(The criterion will receive a weight of 10 beginning with the year 2000
program.)
The total dollar value of the applicant's projected
increase in world trade of the commodities being promoted by the
applicant for the year 2004 compared to
The applicant's requested funding level.
(e) Accuracy of Past Demand Expansion Projections
(Since the information is not currently available, this criterion will
be used beginning with the year 2000 program and will receive a weight
of 10.)
The actual dollar value share of world trade of the
commodities being promoted by the applicant for the year 1998 compared
to
The applicant's past projected share of world trade of the
commodities being promoted by the applicant for the year 1998, as
specified in the 1998 Cooperator program application.
The Commodity Divisions' recommended program levels for each
applicant are converted to a percent of the total Cooperator program
funds available and multiplied by the total weight factor to determine
the amount of funds allocated to each applicant.
[[Page 7752]]
Closing Date for Applications
Applications must be received by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Savings
Time, April 20, 1998 at the following address:
Hand Delivery (including FedEx, DHL, etc.): U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Foreign Agricultural Service, Marketing Operations Staff,
Room 4932-S, 14th and Independence Ave., S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-
1042
U.S. Postal Delivery: Marketing Operations Staff, STOP 1042, 1400
Independence Ave., S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-1042
Electronic mail: mosadmin@fas.usda.gov
Facsimile: (202) 720-9361
Lon Hatamiya,
Administrator, Foreign Agricultural Service.
[FR Doc. 98-3873 Filed 2-13-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-10-M
