[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]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Commodity Credit Corporation


Announcement of the Market Access Program for FY 1998

AGENCY: Commodity Credit Corporation, USDA.

ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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

[[Page 7747]]

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

[[Page 7748]]

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: [email protected].
    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]
BILLING CODE 3410-10-M