[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 31 (Tuesday, February 17, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7746-7748]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-3874]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Commodity Credit Corporation
Announcement of the Market Access Program for FY 1998
AGENCY: Commodity Credit Corporation, USDA.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: This notice announces the availability of funds for the Fiscal
Year 1998 Market Access Progam (MAP).
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., SW.,
Washington, DC 20250, (202) 720-4327.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Introduction
The Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) announces that applications
are being accepted for participation in the Fiscal Year 1998 MAP. The
MAP is designed to encourage the development, maintenance, and
expansion of commercial export markets for U.S. agricultural
commodities and products. Cost-share assistance is provided to eligible
trade organizations to implement approved market
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development programs. Financial assistance under the MAP will be made
available on a competitive basis and applications will be reviewed
against the evaluation criteria contained herein. The MAP is
administered by personnel of the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS).
Under the MAP, CCC enters into agreements with eligible
participants to share the costs of certain overseas marketing and
promotion activities. MAP participants may receive assistance for
either generic or brand promotion activities. The MAP generally
operates on a reimbursement basis.
Authority
The MAP is authorized under section 203 of the Agricultural Trade
Act of 1978, as amended, and MAP regulations are set forth in 7 CFR
part 1485.
Eligible Applicants
To participate in the MAP, an applicant must be: A nonprofit U.S.
agricultural trade organization, a nonprofit state regional trade group
(i.e., an association of State Departments of Agriculture), a U.S.
agricultural cooperative, a State agency, or a small-sized U.S.
commercial entity (other than a cooperative or producer association).
Available Funds
$90 million of cost-share assistance may be obligated under the MAP
announcement to eligible applicants.
Application Process
The FAS administers various agricultural export assistance
programs, including the MAP, the Foreign Market Development Cooperator
(Cooperator) Program, 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 MAP 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 MAP 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
submissions of a consolidated and strategically coordinated proposal
including not only MAP 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.
The UES handbook, including the suggested format, instructions, and
a sample proposal, 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 MAP, an application must contain
the information required by the MAP regulations set forth in 7 CFR
1485. 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 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) 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.
Following is a description of the CCC 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. These requirements appear at Sec. 1485.12 and
Sec. 1485.13 of the MAP regulations.
(2) Phase II--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 criteria listed in Sec. 1485.14
of the MAP regulations. The purpose of this review is to identify
meritorious proposals and to suggest an appropriate funding level for
each application based upon these criteria.
(3) Phase III--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 evaluation criteria (the number in
parentheses represents a percentage weight factor):
(a) Applicant's Contribution Level (40)
The applicant's 4-year average share (1995-98) of all
contributions (cash and goods and services provided by U.S. entities in
support of overseas marketing and promotion activities may be
considered in the allocation process and therefore should be reported
separately from the applicant's contributions) compared to
The applicant's 4-year average share (1995-98) of the
funding level for all MAP participants.
(b) Past Performance (30)
The 3-year average share (1995-97) of the value of exports
promoted by the applicant compared to
The applicant's 2-year average share (1996-97) of the
funding level for all MAP applicants plus, for those groups
participating in the Cooperator program, the 2-year average share
(1997-98) of
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Cooperator marketing plan budgets and the 2-year share (1996-97) of
foreign overhead provided for co-location within a U.S. agricultural
office;
(c) Projected Export Goals (15)
The total dollar value of projected exports promoted by
the applicant for 1998 compared to
The applicant's requested funding level;
(d) Accuracy of Past Projections (15)
Actual exports for 1996 as reported in the 1998 MAP
application compared to
Past projections of exports for 1996 as specified in the
1996 MAP application.
The Commodity Divisions' recommended program levels for each
applicant are converted to a percent of the total MAP funds available
and multiplied by the total weight factor as described above to
determine the amount of funds allocated to each applicant.
Closing Date for Applications
All applications must be received by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight
Savings Time, April 20, 1998, at the following addresses:
Hand Delivery (including FedEx, DHL, etc.): U.S. Department of
Agriculture, Foreign Agricultural Service, Marketing Operations Staff,
Room 4932-S, 14th and Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C.
20250-1042.
U.S. Postal Delivery: Marketing Operations Staff, STOP 1042, 1400
Independence Ave., SW, Washington, D.C. 20250-1042.
Electronic mail: mosadmin@fas.usda.gov.
Facsimile: (202) 720-9361.
Lon Hatamiya,
Administrator, Foreign Agricultural Service, and Vice President,
Commodity Credit Corporation.
[FR Doc. 98-3874 Filed 2-13-98; 8:45 am]
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