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Notices Federal Register

18586 

Vol. 80, No. 66 

Tuesday, April 7, 2015 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Commodity Credit Corporation 

Notice of Funds Availability: Inviting 

Applications for the Technical 

Assistance for Specialty Crops 

Program 

Announcement Type: New. 

Catalog of Federal Domestic 

Assistance (CFDA) Number: 10.604. 

SUMMARY: The Commodity Credit 

Corporation (CCC) announces that it is 

inviting proposals for the 2016 

Technical Assistance for Specialty 

Crops (TASC) program. The intended 

effect of this notice is to solicit 

applications from the private sector and 

from government agencies for fiscal year 

2016 and to set out criteria for the award 

of funds in October 2015. The TASC 

program is administered by personnel of 

the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS). 

DATES: To be considered for funding, 

applications must be received by 5 p.m. 

Eastern Daylight Time, June 8, 2015. 

Any applications received after this 

time will be considered only if funds are 

still available. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Entities wishing to apply for funding 

assistance should contact the Program 

Operations Division, Office of Trade 

Programs, Foreign Agricultural Service 

by courier address: Room 6512, 1400 

Independence Ave. SW., Washington, 

DC 20250, or by phone: (202) 720–4327, 

or by fax: (202) 720–9361, or by email: 

podadmin@fas.usda.gov. Information is 

also available on the FAS Web site at 

http://www.fas.usda.gov/programs/

technical-assistance-specialty-cropstasc. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

A. Funding Opportunity Description 

Authority: The TASC program is 

authorized by section 3205 of Pubic Law 

107–171. TASC regulations appear at 7 

CFR part 1487. 

Purpose: The TASC program is 

designed to assist U.S. organizations by 

providing funding for projects that 

address sanitary, phytosanitary, or 

technical barriers that prohibit or 

threaten the export of U.S. specialty 

crops. U.S. specialty crops, for the 

purpose of the TASC program, are 

defined to include all cultivated plants, 

or the products thereof, produced in the 

United States, except wheat, feed grains, 

oilseeds, cotton, rice, peanuts, sugar, 

and tobacco. 

Prior to the enactment of the 

Agricultural Act of 2014 (Act) on 

February 7, 2014, the TASC program 

was not available to address technical 

barriers to trade except for those that 

were related to sanitary or phytosanitary 

issues. The Act amended the statute 

authorizing the TASC program to allow 

the program to be used to address 

technical barriers to trade regardless of 

whether the barriers are related to a 

sanitary or phytosanitary barrier. The 

TASC regulations have been amended to 

reflect the recent statutory change. 

As a general matter, TASC program 

projects should be designed to address 

the following criteria: 

• Projects should identify and 

address a sanitary, phytosanitary, or 

other technical barrier that prohibits or 

threatens the export of U.S. specialty 

crops; 

• Projects should demonstrably 

benefit the represented industry rather 

than a specific company or brand; 

• Projects must address barriers to 

exports of commercially-available U.S. 

specialty crops for which barrier 

removal would predominantly benefit 

U.S. exports; and 

• Projects should include an 

explanation as to what specifically 

could not be accomplished without 

Federal funding assistance and why the 

participating organization(s) would be 

unlikely to carry out the project without 

such assistance. 

Examples of expenses that CCC may 

agree to reimburse under the TASC 

program include, but are not limited to: 

initial pre-clearance programs, export 

protocol and work plan support, 

seminars and workshops, study tours, 

field surveys, development of pest lists, 

pest and disease research, reasonable 

logistical and administrative support, 

and travel and per diem expenses. 

B. Award Information 

In general, and subject to the 

availability of funding, all qualified 

proposals received before the specified 

application deadline will compete for 

funding. The limited funds and the 

range of barriers affecting the exports of 

U.S. specialty crops worldwide 

preclude CCC from approving large 

budgets for individual projects. 

Proposals requesting more than 

$500,000 in any given year will not be 

considered. Additionally, private 

entities may submit multi-year 

proposals that may be considered in the 

context of a detailed strategic 

implementation plan. The maximum 

duration of an activity is 5 years. 

Funding in such cases may, at FAS’ 

discretion, be provided one year at a 

time with commitments beyond the first 

year subject to interim evaluations and 

funding availability. In order to validate 

funding eligibility, proposals must 

specify previous years of TASC funding 

for each proposed activity/title/market/ 

constraint combination. Government 

entities are not eligible for multi-year 

funding. 

Applicants may submit multiple 

proposals, and applicants with 

previously approved TASC proposals 

may apply for additional funding. The 

number of approved projects that a 

TASC participant can have underway at 

any given time is five. Please see 7 CFR 

part 1487 for additional restrictions. 

FAS will consider providing either 

grant funds as direct assistance to U.S. 

organizations or technical assistance on 

behalf of U.S. organizations, provided 

that the organization submits timely and 

qualified proposals. FAS will review all 

proposals against the evaluation criteria 

contained in the program regulations. 

Funding for successful proposals will 

be provided through specific 

agreements. These agreements will 

incorporate the proposal as approved by 

FAS. FAS must approve in advance any 

subsequent changes to the project. FAS 

or another Federal agency may be 

involved in the implementation of 

approved projects. 

C. Eligibility Information 

1. Eligible Applicants: Any U.S. 

organization, private or government, 

with a demonstrated role or interest in 

exporting U.S. agricultural commodities 

may apply to the program. Government 

organizations consist of Federal, State, 

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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 66 / Tuesday, April 7, 2015 / Notices 18587 

and local agencies. Private organizations 

include non-profit trade associations, 

universities, agricultural cooperatives, 

state regional trade groups, and private 

companies. 

Foreign organizations, whether 

government or private, may participate 

as third parties in activities carried out 

by U.S. organizations, but are not 

eligible for funding assistance from the 

program. 

2. Cost Sharing or Matching: FAS 

considers the applicant’s willingness to 

contribute resources, including cash, 

goods, and services of the U.S. industry 

and foreign third parties, when 

determining which proposals are 

approved for funding. 

3. Proposals should include a 

justification for funding assistance from 

the program—an explanation as to what 

specifically could not be accomplished 

without Federal funding assistance and 

why the participating organization(s) 

would be unlikely to carry out the 

project without such assistance. 

D. Application and Submission 

Information 

1. Application through the Unified 

Export Strategy (UES): Organizations are 

strongly encouraged to submit their 

applications to FAS through the UES 

application Internet Web site. Using the 

UES application process reduces 

paperwork and expedites FAS’s 

processing and review cycle. Applicants 

planning to use the UES Internet-based 

system must contact FAS/Program 

Operations Division to obtain site access 

information, including a user ID and 

password. The UES Internet-based 

application may be found at the 

following URL address: https://

www.fas.usda.gov/ues/webapp/. 

Although FAS highly recommends 

applying via the Internet-based UES 

application, as this format virtually 

eliminates paperwork and expedites the 

FAS processing and review cycle, 

applicants also have the option of 

submitting an electronic version to FAS 

at podadmin@fas.usda.gov. 

2. Content and Form of Application 

Submission: All TASC proposals must 

contain complete information about the 

proposed projects as described in 

§ 1487.5(b) of the TASC program 

regulations. 

In addition, in accordance with 2 CFR 

part 25, each entity that applies to the 

TASC program and does not qualify for 

an exemption under 2 CFR 25.110 must: 

(i) Provide a valid DUNS number in 

each application or plan it submits to 

CCC; 

(ii) Be registered in the System for 

Award Management (SAM) prior to 

submitting an application or plan; and 

(iii) Continue to maintain an active 

SAM registration with current 

information at all times during which it 

has an active Federal award or an 

application or plan under consideration 

by CCC. 

Similarly, in accordance with 2 CFR 

part 170, each entity that applies to the 

TASC program and does not qualify for 

an exception under 2 CFR 170.110(b) 

must ensure it has the necessary 

processes and systems in place to 

comply with the applicable reporting 

requirements of 2 CFR part 170 should 

it receive TASC funding. 

Incomplete applications and 

applications that do not otherwise 

conform to this announcement will not 

be accepted for review. 

3. Submission Dates and Times: 

TASC proposals are reviewed on a 

rolling basis during the fiscal year as 

long as TASC funding is available as set 

forth below: 

• Proposals received by, but not later 

than, 5 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, June 

8, 2015, will be considered for funding 

with other proposals received by that 

date; 

• Proposals not approved for funding 

during the review period will be 

reconsidered for funding after the 

review period only if the applicant 

specifically requests such 

reconsideration in writing, and only if 

funding remains available; 

• Proposals received after 5 p.m. 

Eastern Daylight Time, June 8, 2015, 

will be considered in the order received 

for funding only if funding remains 

available. 

Notwithstanding the foregoing, a 

proposal may be submitted for 

expedited consideration under the 

TASC Quick Response process if, in 

addition to meeting all requirements of 

the TASC program, a proposal clearly 

identifies a time-sensitive activity. In 

these cases, a proposal may be 

submitted at any time for an expedited 

evaluation. Such a proposal must 

include a specific request for expedited 

evaluation. 

FAS will track the time and date of 

receipt of all proposals. 

4. Funding Restrictions: Although 

funded projects may take place in the 

United States or abroad, all eligible 

projects must specifically address 

sanitary, phytosanitary, or related 

technical barriers to the export of U.S. 

specialty crops. 

Certain types of expenses are not 

eligible for reimbursement by the 

program, such as the costs of market 

research, advertising, or other 

promotional expenses, and will be set 

forth in the written program agreement 

between CCC and the participant. CCC 

will also not reimburse unreasonable 

expenditures or any expenditure made 

prior to approval of a proposal. 

5. Other Submission Requirements: 

All Internet-based applications must be 

properly submitted by 5 p.m., Eastern 

Daylight Time, June 8, 2015, in order to 

be considered for funding; late 

submissions received after the deadline 

will be considered only if funding 

remains available. All applications 

submitted by email must be received by 

5 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, June 8, 

2015, at podadmin@fas.usda.gov in 

order to receive the same consideration. 

E. Application Review Information 

1. Criteria: FAS follows the evaluation 

criteria set forth in § 1487.6 of the TASC 

regulations and in this Notice. 

Reviewers will evaluate according to the 

following criteria: (1) The nature of the 

specific export barrier and the extent to 

which the proposal is likely to 

successfully remove, resolve, or mitigate 

that barrier (12.5%); 

(2) The potential trade impact of the 

proposed project on market retention, 

market access, and market expansion, 

including the potential for expanding 

commercial sales in the targeted market 

(12.5%); 

(3) The completeness and viability of 

the proposal. Among other things, this 

can include the cost of the project and 

the amount of other resources dedicated 

to the project, including cash and goods 

and services of the U.S. industry and 

foreign third parties (15%) and the 

effectiveness and potential of the 

performance measures (10%); 

(4) The ability of the organization to 

provide an experienced staff with the 

requisite technical and trade experience 

to execute the proposal (15%); 

(5) The extent to which the proposal 

is targeted to a market in which the 

United States is generally competitive 

(17.5%); 

(6) The degree to which time is 

essential to addressing specific export 

barriers (5%); and 

(7) The ability of the applicant to 

provide a broad base of producer 

representation (12.5%). 

2. Review and Selection Process: FAS 

will review proposals for eligibility and 

will evaluate each proposal against the 

criteria referred to above. The purpose 

of this review is to identify meritorious 

proposals, recommend an appropriate 

funding level for each proposal based 

upon these factors, and submit the 

proposals and funding 

recommendations to the Deputy 

Administrator, Office of Trade 

Programs. FAS may, when appropriate, 

request the assistance of other U.S. 

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18588 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 66 / Tuesday, April 7, 2015 / Notices 

government subject area experts in 

evaluating the merits of a proposal. 

F. Federal Award Administration 

Information 

1. Award Notices: FAS will notify 

each applicant in writing of the final 

disposition of the submitted 

application. FAS will send an approval 

letter and agreement to each approved 

applicant. The approval letter and 

agreement will specify the terms and 

conditions applicable to the project, 

including levels of funding, timelines 

for implementation, and written 

evaluation requirements. 

2. Administrative and National Policy 

Requirements: The agreements will 

incorporate the details of each project as 

approved by FAS. Each agreement will 

identify terms and conditions pursuant 

to which CCC will reimburse certain 

costs of each project. Agreements will 

also outline the responsibilities of the 

participant. Interested parties should 

review the TASC program regulations 

found at 7 CFR part 1487 in addition to 

this announcement. TASC program 

regulations are available at the following 

URL address: http://www.fas.usda.gov/

programs/technical-assistancespecialty-crops-tasc. Hard copies may 

be obtained by contacting the Program 

Operations Division at (202) 720–4327. 

3. Reporting: TASC participants will 

be required to submit regular interim 

reports and a final performance report, 

each of which evaluate the TASC 

project using the performance measures 

presented in the approved proposal, as 

set forth in the written program 

agreement. 

G. Federal Awarding Agency Contact 

For additional information and 

assistance, contact the Program 

Operations Division, Office of Trade 

Programs, Foreign Agricultural Service, 

U.S. Department of Agriculture. 

Courier address: Room 6512, 1400 

Independence Ave. SW., Washington, 

DC 20250, or by phone: (202) 720–4327, 

or by fax: (202) 720–9361, or by email: 

podadmin@fas.usda.gov. 

Signed at Washington, DC on the 1st of 

April, 2015. 

Asif Chaudhry, 

Acting Administrator, Foreign Agricultural 

Service, and Vice President, Commodity 

Credit Corporation. 

[FR Doc. 2015–07934 Filed 4–6–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE CODE 3410–10–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Commodity Credit Corporation 

Notice of Funds Availability: Inviting 

Applications for the Emerging Markets 

Program 

SUMMARY: The Commodity Credit 

Corporation (CCC) announces that it is 

inviting proposals for the 2016 

Emerging Markets Program (EMP). The 

intended effect of this notice is to solicit 

applications from the private sector and 

from government agencies for fiscal year 

2016 and to set out criteria for the award 

of funds under the program in October 

2015. The EMP is administered by 

personnel of the Foreign Agricultural 

Service (FAS). 

DATES: To be considered for funding, 

applications must be received by 5 p.m. 

Eastern Daylight Time, June 8, 2015. 

Any applications received after this 

time will be considered only if funds are 

still available. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Entities wishing to apply for funding 

assistance should contact the Program 

Operations Division, Office of Trade 

Programs, Foreign Agricultural Service 

by courier address: Room 6512, 1400 

Independence Ave. SW., Washington, 

DC 20250, or by phone: (202) 720–4327, 

or by fax: (202) 720–9361, or by email: 

podadmin@fas.usda.gov. Information is 

also available on the Foreign 

Agricultural Service Web site at http:// 

www.fas.usda.gov/programs/emergingmarkets-program-emp. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

A. Funding Opportunity Description 

Announcement Type: New. 

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance 

(CFDA) Number: 10.603. 

Authority: The EMP is authorized by 

section 1542(d)(1) of the Food, Agriculture, 

Conservation and Trade Act of 1990 (The 

Act), as amended. The EMP regulations 

appear at 7 CFR part 1486. 

1. Purpose. The EMP assists U.S. 

entities in developing, maintaining, or 

expanding exports of U.S. agricultural 

commodities and products by funding 

activities that improve emerging 

markets’ food and rural business 

systems, including reducing potential 

trade barriers in such markets. The EMP 

is intended primarily to support export 

market development efforts of the 

private sector, but EMP resources may 

also be used to assist public 

organizations. 

All U.S. agricultural commodities, 

except tobacco, are eligible for 

consideration. Agricultural product(s) 

should be comprised of at least 50 

percent U.S. origin content by weight, 

exclusive of added water, to be eligible 

for funding. Proposals that seek support 

for multiple commodities are also 

eligible. EMP funding may only be used 

to develop, maintain, or expand 

emerging markets for U.S. agricultural 

commodities and products through 

generic activities. EMP funding may not 

be used to support the export of another 

country’s products to the United States, 

or to promote the development of a 

foreign economy as a primary objective. 

2. Appropriate Activities. All EMP 

projects must fall into at least one of the 

following four categories: 

(a) Assistance to teams consisting 

primarily of U.S. individuals expert in 

assessing the food and rural business 

systems of other countries. This type of 

EMP project must include all three of 

the following: 

• Conduct an assessment of the food 

and rural business system needs of an 

emerging market; 

• Make recommendations on 

measures necessary to enhance the 

effectiveness of these systems; and 

• Identify opportunities and projects 

to enhance the effectiveness of the 

emerging market’s food and rural 

business systems. 

To be eligible, such proposals must 

clearly demonstrate that experts are 

primarily agricultural consultants, 

farmers, other persons from the private 

sector, and government officials, and 

that they have expertise in assessing the 

food and rural business systems of other 

countries. 

(b) Assistance to enable individuals 

from emerging markets to travel to the 

United States so that these individuals 

can, for the purpose of enhancing the 

food and rural business systems in their 

countries, become familiar with U.S. 

technology and agribusiness and rural 

enterprise operations by consulting with 

food and rural business system experts 

in the United States. 

(c) Assistance to enable U.S. 

agricultural producers and other 

individuals knowledgeable in 

agricultural and agribusiness matters to 

travel to emerging markets to assist in 

transferring their knowledge and 

expertise to entities in emerging 

markets. Such travel must be to 

emerging markets. Travel to developed 

markets is not eligible under the 

program even if the traveler’s targeted 

market is an emerging market. 

(d) Technical assistance to implement 

the recommendations, projects, and/or 

opportunities identified under 2(a) 

above. Technical assistance that does 

not implement the recommendations, 

projects, and/or opportunities identified 

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