[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 57 (Tuesday, March 25, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14113-14114]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-7404]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

FY 1997 Emerging Markets Program and Solicitation of Proposals

AGENCY: Foreign Agricultural Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of FY 1997 Emerging Markets Program and solicitation of 
proposals.

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SUMMARY: The Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) invites proposals to 
promote the export of, and improve the market access for, U.S. 
agricultural products to emerging markets in fiscal year (FY) 1997 
under the Emerging Markets Program (the Program). The Program is 
authorized by the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 
1990, as amended (the Act). Proposals will be considered from any 
agricultural or agribusiness organization, with certain restrictions as 
indicated below. Program funds available for FY 1997 under this notice 
are approximately $4 million. All agricultural products are eligible 
for consideration.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Additional information, including 
Program guidelines, may be obtained from and applications submitted to: 
Emerging Markets Office, Foreign Agricultural Service, Room 6506 South 
Building, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C. 20250-1032, 
Fax: (202) 690-4369.

INTENT OF THE PROGRAM: The premise of the Program is that emerging 
markets can benefit from U.S. governmental assistance as the private 
sector moves to develop these markets through normal corporate or trade 
promotional activities.
    The Act defines an emerging market as any country that the 
Secretary of Agriculture determines:
    (1) Is taking steps toward a market-oriented economy through the 
food, agriculture, or rural business sectors of the economy of the 
country; and
    (2) Has the potential to provide a significant market for United 
States agricultural commodities or products of Untied States 
agricultural commodities.
    There is no set list of emerging market countries; however, the 
following administrative criteria will be used to determine whether a 
particular country will be considered an emerging market:
    (1) Per capita income less than $8355;
    (2) Population is greater than 1 million; and
    (3) Positive economic growth factors.
    The Program provides technical assistance and is not intended for 
projects targeted at end-user consumers. Ineligible activities include 
in-store promotions, restaurant promotions, advertising, and branded 
promotions. Funding is on a project-by-project basis. The Program 
complements the efforts of other FAS marketing programs. The emphasis 
is on market access opportunities. Once a market access issue has been 
addressed by this Program, further market development activities may be 
considered under other programs such as GSM-102 or GSM-103 credit 
programs, the Market Access Program (MAP), or the Foreign Market 
Development Program (FMD).
    Preference will be given to proposals based upon (1) clear 
demonstration of the degree to which the private agribusiness is 
willing to commit its own funds to seek export business in an emerging 
market (leveraged funds), and (2) the immediacy and volume of U.S. 
agricultural exports which will result from the completion of the 
proposal.
    Additional criteria considered in approving proposal are outlined 
in the ``Applications'' section below.

ACTIVITIES: The Program includes but is not limited to the following 
types of activities: (1) Projects that facilitate the collection and 
use of market information that benefit both U.S. exporters and the 
recipient country; (2) Projects to develop free trade policies that 
benefit both U.S. exporters and the recipient country; (3) Short-term 
training in agriculture and agribusiness that will benefit U.S. 
exporters; (4) Projects that specifically address various constraints 
to U.S. food, fish, and forestry product exports, including sanitary 
and phytosanitary issues and other non-tariff barriers, such as 
infrastructure-related issues; (5) Projects that directly assist U.S. 
exporters through the funding of feasibility studies, markets research, 
orientation visits, specialized training, business workshops, and other 
forms of technical assistance; and (6) Projects and assessments to 
improve overseas country-wide food and business systems, to reduce 
trade barriers, to increase prospects for U.S. trade and investment in 
emerging markets, and to determine the potential for export credit 
guarantees for commodities, facilities and services. In making 
proposals, applicants may want to address market access opportunities 
such as inadequate distribution, infrastructure (including government 
infrastructure) impediments, insufficient information, sanitary and 
phytosantiary concerns, quality issues, lack of financing options or 
resources, need for establishing trade contacts, or lace of familiarity 
with U.S. products.

ELIGIBLE ORGANIZATIONS: Any U.S. agricultural or agribusiness 
organization may apply to the Program. U.S. participants in the FMD and 
MAP programs, however, are eligible only for specific types of 
activities such as quick response marketing initiatives, food safety 
and regulation issues, and sectorial assessments for trade and 
investment, not funded under FMD and MAP. They may, however, 
participate in export-oriented projects with another agricultural 
organization which has primary responsibility for the project(s).

DATES: Proposals for FY 1997 funding must be received not later than 
April 30, 1997. Funding decisions are anticipated, but cannot be 
guaranteed, within 45 days of this deadline.

APPLICATIONS: To assist FAS in making determinations under the Program, 
FAS recommends that all applications contain complete information about 
the proposed project and the applicant(s) and be not longer than ten 
(10) pages in length. This information may include: name of the person/
organization submitting proposal; date of proposal; company/
organization affiliation and address (as applicable); telephone and fax 
numbers; full title of proposal; precis of the proposal, including 
objectives, proposed activities, benefits to U.S. agricultural exports, 
target country/countries for proposed activities, projected starting 
date for project, and funding amount requested; summary and detailed 
description of proposed project; specific trade constraint addressed; 
benefits to U.S. agricultural exports; agricultural trade data for 
target country/countries, including U.S. market share; time line(s); 
detailed project budget, including other sources of funding for the 
project and contributions from participating organizations; whether 
similar activities are or have previously been funded in target 
country/countries (i.e., under MAP and/or FMD programs);

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why participating organization(s) are unlikely to carry out activities 
without Federal financial assistance; and qualifications of 
applicant(s) (as attachment).

    Signed at Washington, DC on March 17, 1997.
August Schumacher, Jr.,
Administrator, Foreign Agricultural Service.
[FR Doc. 97-7404 Filed 3-24-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-10-M