WASHINGTON, Sept. 17, 2004 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture today announced new one-year allocations under the Dairy Export Incentive Program (DEIP) for the July-June 2004/05 year.

DEIP allocations of 68,201 metric tons of nonfat dry milk, 21,097 tons of butterfat and 3,030 tons of various cheeses may be made available through future Invitations for Offers. These allocations correspond to total World Trade Organization limits for this year’s DEIP.

Because of current international and domestic market conditions, Invitations for Offers will not immediately be made available. USDA will continue to monitor market conditions closely to determine when invitations on these allocations may be issued.

Export sales of these products under DEIP will be facilitated through the payment of bonuses by USDA’s Commodity Credit Corporation. Sales of nonfat dry milk, butterfat and eligible cheeses will be made through normal commercial channels at competitive world prices.

Individual product/country allocations will be specified in the Invitations for Offers. Country/region quantities may be limited by the applicable invitation.

Information about the DEIP, including Invitations for Offers when issued, can be found on the Internet at http://www.fas.usda.gov/excredits/deip.html or by calling the Operations Division, Export Credits, Foreign Agricultural Service, at (202) 720-3224 or (202) 720-6211.

FAS news releases are available on the Internet at http://www.fas.usda.gov. For additional information about Web access, contact FAS Public Affairs Division at (202) 720-7115.

#

PR 0186-04