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.

Evaluation criteria. FAS will consider a number of factors when reviewing proposals, including:

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;

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);

The conditions or constraints affecting the level of U.S. exports and market share for the agricultural commodity/product;

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;

Demonstration of how a proposed project will benefit a particular industry as a whole; and

Past program results and evaluations, if applicable.

The following priority technical assistance activities:

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;

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.

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;

Projects that specifically address various constraints to U.S. exports, including sanitary and phytosanitary issues and other non-tariff barriers;

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;

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

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.

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.