The Market Access Program (MAP) uses funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) to aid in the creation, expansion, and maintenance of foreign markets for U.S. agricultural products. The MAP is authorized by Section 203 of the Agricultural Trade Act of 1978, and is administered by the USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS).

The MAP forms a partnership between non-profit U.S. agricultural trade associations, U.S. agricultural cooperatives, non-profit state-regional trade groups, small U.S. businesses, and USDA's Commodity Credit Corporation to share the costs of overseas marketing and promotional activities such as consumer promotions, market research, trade shows, and trade servicing.

How the program benefits U.S. agriculture: Each year, MAP helps launch and expand sales of U.S. agricultural, fish, and forest products overseas. Rural American farmers and ranchers, as the primary suppliers of commodities, benefit from MAP. All regions of the country benefit from the program's employment and economic effects from expanded agricultural export markets.

How the program works: The MAP uses funds from the USDA's Commodity Credit Corporation to partially reimburse program participants for foreign market promotion activities.

Beginning with implementation of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of

2002 (FSRIA), funding for the MAP program will rise from $100 million in FY 2002 progressively up to $200 million by FY 2006. For all funding above $90 million: (1) past program participants, as well as new participants, will receive equal consideration for projects; and (2) proposals for activities in emerging markets, as well as all other markets, will be given equal consideration.

Each year, USDA announces an application period for participation in the MAP, publishing it in the Federal Register. Trade organizations and private firms develop MAP proposals and submit them to USDA as part of the Unified Export Strategy (UES) process that allows applicants to request funding for various USDA market development programs through a single strategically coordinated proposal.

The MAP applications undergo a competitive review process based on criteria specified in the Federal Register announcement. Funds are awarded to applicants that demonstrate effective performance based on a clear, long-term strategic plan. FAS sets a program funding level and signs a program agreement with each participant. Participants must keep an itemized list of expenses incurred during the program year and submit them to FAS for reimbursement. Expenses are subject to audits and participants are held accountable for maintaining proper documentation.

Agricultural cooperatives and small companies can receive assistance under the brand program. To conduct branded product promotion activities, individual companies must provide at least 50 percent of funding. For generic promotion activities, trade associations and others must meet a minimum 10-percent match requirement. Participants are required to certify that federal funds used under the program supplement -- and not replace -- private sector funds. MAP regulations limit the promotion of branded products in a single country to no more than five years.

What commodities are covered: USDA has approved MAP proposals to promote a wide variety of U.S. commodities in almost every region of the world. Among those U.S. food and fiber products are apples, asparagus, canned peaches and fruit cocktail, catfish, cherries, citrus, cotton, dairy products, dry beans, eggs, feed grains, frozen potatoes, grapes, honey, hops, kiwifruit, meat, peanuts, pears, pet food, pistachios, poultry meat, prunes, raisins, rice, salmon, soybeans, strawberries, sunflower seeds, surimi, tallow, tomato products, walnuts, watermelons, and wheat.

Information on FAS programs, trade data, and reports are available by accessing the FAS Home Page at: http://www.fas.usda.gov.

Market Access Program (MAP) 

Market Access Program Allocations
Fiscal Year 2006