[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 7, Volume 10]
[Revised as of January 1, 2007]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 7CFR1486]

[Page 748]
 
                          TITLE 7--AGRICULTURE
 
  CHAPTER XIV--COMMODITY CREDIT CORPORATION, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
 
PART 1486_EMERGING MARKETS PROGRAM--Table of Contents
 
            Subpart B_Eligibility, Applications, and Funding
 
Sec.  1486.209  How are program applications evaluated and approved?

    (a) General. Proposals received by the application deadline stated 
in the announcement for the Central Fund undergo a multi-phase review by 
FAS staff and the EMP Advisory Committee to determine qualifications, 
quality and appropriateness of projects, and reasonableness of project 
budgets.
    (b) Evaluation criteria. FAS will consider a number of factors when 
reviewing proposals, including:
    (1) The ability of the entity to provide an experienced U.S.-based 
staff with knowledge and expertise to ensure adequate development, 
supervision, and execution of the proposed project;
    (2) The entity's willingness to contribute resources, including cash 
and goods and services of the U.S. industry, with greater weight given 
to cash contributions (for private sector proposals only);
    (3) The conditions or constraints affecting the level of U.S. 
exports and market share for the agricultural commodity/product;
    (4) The degree to which the proposed project is likely to contribute 
to the development, maintenance, or expansion of U.S. agricultural 
exports to emerging markets;
    (5) Demonstration of how a proposed project will benefit a 
particular industry as a whole; and
    (6) Past program results and evaluations, if applicable.
    (7) The following priority technical assistance activities:
    (i) Projects and activities which use technical assistance designed 
specifically to improve market access in emerging markets such as 
activities intended to mitigate the impact of sudden political events or 
economic and currency crises in order to maintain U.S. market share;
    (ii) Marketing and distribution of value-added products, including 
new products or new uses. Examples include food service development, 
market research on potential for consumer-ready foods or new uses of a 
product, and export feasibility studies.
    (iii) Studies of food distribution channels in emerging markets, 
including infrastructural impediments to U.S. exports; such studies may 
include cross-commodity activities which focus on problems which affect 
more than one industry, e.g., grain storage handling and inventory 
systems development;
    (iv) Projects that specifically address various constraints to U.S. 
exports, including sanitary and phytosanitary issues and other non-
tariff barriers;
    (v) Assessments and follow-up activities designed to improve 
country-wide food and business systems, to reduce trade barriers, to 
increase prospects for U.S. trade and investment in emerging markets, or 
to determine the potential use for general export credit guarantees;
    (vi) Projects that help foreign governments collect and use market 
information and develop free trade policies that benefit American 
exporters as well as the target country or countries; and
    (vii) Short-term training in agriculture and agribusiness trade that 
will benefit U.S. exporters, including seminars and training at trade 
shows designed to expand the potential for U.S. agricultural exports by 
focusing on the trading system.
    (c) Approval decision. CCC will approve those applications that it 
determines best satisfy the criteria and factors specified in paragraph 
(b) of this section. All decisions regarding the disposition of an 
application are final.