[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 243 (Monday, December 21, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67854-67856]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-30325]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

International Trade Administration


Mission Statement; Agricultural Equipment and Technology Mission, 
May 25-26, 2010

AGENCY: International Trade Administration, Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Amendment.

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Mission Description

    The United States Department of Commerce, International Trade 
Administration, U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service (CS) is organizing 
an Agricultural Equipment and Technology Trade Mission to Abuja, 
Nigeria, May 25-26, 2010.
    The Agricultural Equipment and Technology Mission is intended to 
include representatives from a variety of U.S. agricultural industry 
manufacturers and service providers. The mission will introduce the 
U.S. suppliers to end-users and prospective partners whose needs and 
capabilities are targeted to each U.S. participant's strengths. The 
mission will include one-on-one appointments and briefings in Abuja, 
Nigeria's capital, which is centrally located with respect to the 
country's agricultural regions. Trade mission participants will have 
the opportunity to interact extensively with private and public sector 
organizations in the agricultural industry to discuss industry 
developments, opportunities, and partnerships.

Commercial Setting

    Nigeria is the United States' largest trading partner in sub-
Saharan Africa, and the 17th largest trading partner in the world. With 
over $US4.2 billion in U.S. exports to Nigeria in 2008, the country 
ranks as the 50th-largest export market for U.S. goods. The United 
States is the largest foreign investor in Nigeria, with the bulk of 
investment concentrated in the petroleum sector, but also in consumer 
goods manufacturing.
    Once the leading agricultural exporter in western and central 
Africa, Nigeria's agricultural sector suffered from neglect as the 
country's petroleum sector came to dominate economic activity and 
investment in recent decades. While oil revenues grew, local 
agricultural production dwindled, giving rise to a reliance on massive 
food imports. In 2008 alone, Nigeria imported an estimated $4 billion 
worth of food, including $US930 million in grain from the United 
States. Food imports likely will increase in the future in order to 
sustain Nigeria's population of over 140 million, which is growing at 
more than 2.5% per annum.
    Faced with increasing food costs and potential food shortages, the 
Nigerian federal government initiated a program intended to revitalize 
its agricultural sector and encourage large scale commercial farming to 
create food security and employment. To this end, it set goals that 
include the rehabilitation of existing grain silos, construction of new 
grain silos to upgrade national strategic grain storage capacity to one 
million tons; procurement of over 10,000 new farm tractors; 
rehabilitation and installation

[[Page 67855]]

of irrigation systems; supply of over 400,000 metric tons of 
agricultural fertilizers; and the earmarking of a 200 billion naira 
(about $1.4 billion) in agricultural development funds for farmers to 
support these procurements. Many states in Nigeria have also started 
various agricultural projects that stand to boost demand for 
agricultural inputs and farm equipment to support mechanized farming. 
Many of Nigeria's farming activities take place in the country's 
northern region. Abuja has been selected to host the trade mission due 
to its close proximity to the northern states and the fact that all of 
the nation's federal departments and ministries are situated there. The 
city ranks among the country's safest and most organized in terms of 
infrastructure, and it is a major center of national and international 
trade.

Mission Goals

    The goal of the Agricultural Equipment and Technology Mission is to 
(1) introduce U.S. companies to buyers, joint-venture partners and 
industry representatives; and (2) introduce U.S. companies to industry 
leaders and government officials in Nigeria to learn about various 
agricultural program opportunities.

Mission Scenario

    In Abuja, the U.S. mission members will meet with officials of 
federal and state government agricultural agencies and ministries, and 
take part in business matchmaking appointments with end-users, 
commercial farmers, and private-sector organizations. In addition, they 
will attend a briefing with the U.S. Embassy staff in Nigeria. All 
Nigerian attendees participating in the matchmaking meetings will be 
pre-screened to determine their validity as well as to identify their 
business objectives for meeting with mission members. U.S. participants 
will be counseled before and after the mission by U.S. Export 
Assistance Center trade specialists. Participation in the mission will 
include the following:
     Pre-travel briefings/webinar on subjects ranging from 
business practices in Nigeria to security;
     Scheduled meetings with potential partners, distributors, 
end users, or local industry contacts in Nigeria;
     Transportation to and from the Abuja airport;
     US&FCS, industry and Nigerian government briefing;
     Networking reception and briefing.

Proposed Mission Timetable

    Mission participants will be encouraged to arrive latest on Monday, 
May 24, since the mission program begins on Tuesday, May 25.

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Tuesday, May 25.................................  --Market briefing.
                                                  --One-on-one business matchmaking appointments.
                                                  --Evening networking reception.
Wednesday, May 26...............................  --One-on-one business matchmaking appointments.
                                                  --Evening reception with the U.S. Ambassador or representative.
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Participation Requirements

    All parties interested in participating in the Agricultural 
Equipment & Technology Trade Mission to Nigeria must complete and 
submit an application for consideration by the Department of Commerce. 
All applicants will be evaluated on their ability to meet certain 
conditions and best satisfy the selection criteria as outlined below. 
The mission is open on a first come first served basis to 15 qualified 
U.S. companies.

Fees and Expenses

    After a company has been selected to participate on the mission, a 
payment to the Department of Commerce in the form of a participation 
fee is required. The participation fee will be $2,200 for large firms 
and $1,800 for a small or medium-sized enterprise (SME),\1\ which 
includes one principal representative. The fee for each additional firm 
representative (large firm or SME) is $500. Expenses for lodging, some 
meals, incidentals, and travel (except for transportation to and from 
airports in-country, previously noted) will be the responsibility of 
each mission participant.
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    \1\ An SME is defined as a firm with 500 or fewer employees or 
that otherwise qualifies as a small business under SBA regulations 
(see http://www.sba.gov/services/contractingopportunities/sizestandardstopics/index.html). Parent companies, affiliates, and 
subsidiaries will be considered when determining business size. The 
dual pricing schedule reflects the Commercial Service's user fee 
schedule that became effective May 1, 2008 (for additional 
information see http://www.export.gov/newsletter/march2008/initiatives.html).
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Conditions for Participation

     An applicant must submit a completed and signed mission 
application and supplemental application materials, including adequate 
information on the company's products and/or services, primary market 
objectives, and goals for participation.
     Each applicant must also certify that the products and 
services it seeks to export through the mission are either produced in 
the United States, or, if not, marketed under the name of a U.S. firm 
and have at least fifty-one percent U.S. content.

Selection Criteria

    Selection will be based on the following criteria:
     Suitability of a company's products or services to the 
mission's goals.
     Applicant's potential for business in Nigeria, including 
likelihood of exports resulting from the trade mission.
     Consistency of the applicant's goals and objectives with 
the stated scope of the trade mission.
    Any partisan political activities (including political 
contributions) of an applicant are irrelevant to the selection process.

Timeframe for Recruitment and Applications

    Mission recruitment will be conducted in an open and public manner, 
including publication in the Federal Register, posting on the Commerce 
Department trade mission calendar (http://www.ita.doc.gov/doctm/tmcal.html) and other Internet Web sites, press releases to general and 
trade media, direct mail, notices by industry trade associations and 
other multiplier groups, and publicity at industry meetings, symposia, 
conferences, and trade shows. Recruitment for the mission will begin 
immediately and conclude no later than March 31, 2010. Applications 
received after that date will be considered only if space and 
scheduling constraints permit.

Contacts

Project Officer for the U.S.

Timothy Cannon, U.S. Commercial Officer, U.S. Commercial Service--North 
Dakota, United States Department of Commerce, 51 Broadway, Suite 505, 
Fargo, ND 58102, Ph: (701) 239-5082/Fax (701) 237-9734. E-mail: 
[email protected] http://

[[Page 67856]]

www.export.gov. http://www.buyusa.gov/northdakota

Project Officer for Nigeria

Mr. Chamberlain Eke, Commercial Specialist, U.S. Commercial Service 
Lagos, Ph: +234-1-4603400/Fax: +234-1-2610544, E-mail: 
[email protected] http://www.buyusa.gov/nigeria

Alternate Contacts for Nigeria

Mr. Larry Farris, Commercial Counselor, U.S. Commercial Service Lagos, 
Ph: +234-1-4603400/Fax: +234-1-2610544, E-mail: 
[email protected] http://www.buyusa.gov/nigeria
Mr. Christopher Becker, Commercial Officer, U.S. Commercial Service 
Lagos, Ph: +234-1-4603400/Fax: +234-1-2610544, E-mail: 
[email protected] http://www.buyusa.gov/nigeria

Sean Timmins,
Global Trade Programs, Commercial Service Trade Missions Program.
[FR Doc. E9-30325 Filed 12-18-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-FP-P