The MPP is intended to encourage the development, maintenance, and expansion of commercial export markets for agricultural commodities. Under the MPP, funds from the CCC are used to partially reimburse program participants conducting specific foreign market development projects for eligible products in specified countries. Proposals for MPP programs are developed by trade organizations and private firms and submitted to USDA by a deadline specified in the program announcement USDA publishes annually in the Federal Register. USDA has approved MPP programs to promote a wide variety of U.S. commodities in almost every region of the world. Activities financed by the program vary by commodity and include activities such as market research, consumer promotions, and technical assistance.
Direct loans are available to projects sponsored by American small businesses.
OPIC also sponsors several funds offering equity investment. To mitigate risks of investing overseas, OPIC insures U.S. investments against political violence, inconvertibility of currency and expropriation. For companies considering overseas investment, OPIC offers a variety of fee-based services, including feasibility studies, investment missions, a database of business opportunities and business outreach. TDA-funded studies must be performed by U.S. countries or consortia. A host country plays an active role in developing the scope of work for the study, selecting on a competitive basis the U.S. firm to complete it and monitoring the progress of the study.