Notice of a Request for a Revision of a
Currently Approved Information Collection
ACTION: Notice and request for comments.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Export Sales Reporting Program.
OMB Number: 0551-0007.
Expiration Date of Approval: October
31, 2007.
Type of Request: Revision of a
currently approved information
collection.
Abstract: Section 602 of the
Agricultural
Trade Act of 1978, as
amended, requires the reporting of information
pertaining to contracts
for export sale of certain specified
agricultural
commodities and other
commodities that may be designated by the
Secretary. In accordance with
Sec. 602, individual weekly reports submitted
shall remain confidential
and shall be compiled and published in
compilation form each week
following the week of reporting. Any person who
knowingly fails to
report shall be fined not more than $25,000 or
imprisoned for not more
than 1 year, or both. Regulations at 7 CFR part
20 implement the
reporting requirements, and prescribe a system
for reporting
information pertaining to contracts for export
sales.
USDA's export sales reporting system was
created after the large
unexpected purchase of U.S. wheat and corn by
the Soviet Union in 1972. To make sure that all
parties involved in the production and export of
U.S. grain have access to up-to-date export
information, the U.S. Congress mandated as
export sales reporting
requirements in 1973. Prior to the establishment
of the Export Sales
Reporting System, it was impossible for the
public to obtain
information on export sales activity until the
actual shipments had
taken place. This frequently resulted in
considerable delay in the
availability of information.
Under the export sales reporting system, U.S.
exporters are
required to report all large sales of certain
designated commodities by
3 p.m. (eastern time) on the next business days
after the sale is made.
The designated commodities for these daily
reports are wheat (by
class), barley, corn, grain sorghum, oats,
soybeans, soybean cake and
meal, and soybean oil. Large sales for all
reportable commodities
except soybean oil are defined as 100,000 metric
tons or more of one
commodity in one day to a single destination or
200,000 tons or more of
one commodity during the weekly reporting
period. Large sales for
soybean oil are 200,000 tons and 40,000 tons,
respectively.
Weekly reports are also required, regardless
of the size of the
sales transaction, for all of these commodities,
as well as wheat
products, rye, flaxseed, linseed oil,
sunflowerseed oil, cotton (by
staple length), cottonseed, cottonseed cake and
meal, cottonseed oil,
rice (by class), cattle hides and skins (cattle,
calf, and kip), and
beef. The reporting week for the export sales
reporting system is
Friday-Thursday. The Secretary of Agriculture
has the authority to add
other commodities to this list.
U.S. exporters provide information on the
quantity of their sales
transactions, the type and class of commodity,
the marketing year of
shipment, and the destination. They also report
any changes in
previously reported information, such as
cancellations and changes in
destinations.
The estimated total annual burden of 31,190
hours in the OMB
inventory for the currently approved information
collection will be
increased by 11,757 hours to 42,947 hours. The
estimated increase is
based on the growth in U.S. exports of reported
commodities during this
period.
Estimate of Burden: The average burden,
including the time for
reviewing instructions, gathering data needed,
completing forms, and
record keeping is estimated to be 30 minutes.
Respondents: All reports of wheat and wheat
flour, feed grains, oil
seeds, cotton, rice, cattle hides and skins,
beef, and any products
thereof, and other commodities that the
Secretary may designate as
produced in the United States.
Estimated number of respondents: 340 for
forms FAS 97, 98, 99, and
100.
Requests for Comments: Send comments
regarding (a) Whether the
proposed collection of information is necessary
for the proper
performance of the functions of the agency,
including whether the
information will have practical utility; (b) the
accuracy of the
agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed
collection of
information; (c) ways to enhance the quality,
utility and clarity of
the information to be collected; and (d) ways to
minimize the burden of
the collection of information on those who are
to respond, including
through the use of automated, electronic,
mechanical, or other
technological collection techniques or other
forms of information
technology. Copies of the current information
collection may be
obtained from Tamoria Thompson-Hall, FAS
Information Collection
Coordinator, at (202) 690-1690 or e-mail at
Tamoria.Thompson@usda.gov.
Comments may be sent to Peter W. Burr, Office of
Trade Programs/Import
and Trade Support Programs Division/Export Sales
Reporting, FAS, 1400
Independence Avenue, Stop 1021, SW., Washington,
DC 20250-1021 or
esr@fas.usda.gov, or to the Desk Office for
Agriculture, Office of Information and
Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and
Budget, Washington, DC 20503. Comments can also
be hand delivered to Export Sales Reporting,
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Room 456, 1250
Maryland Avenue, Washington, DC 20024. Persons
with disabilities who require an alternative
means of communication of information (Braille,
large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact
USDA's Target Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice
and TDD). All responses to this notice will be
summarized and included in the request for OMB
approval. All comments will become a matter of
public record.
Government Paperwork Elimination Act: FAS is
committed to
compliance with the Government Paperwork
Elimination Act, which
requires Government agencies, in general, to
provide the public the
option of submitting information or transacting
business electronically
to the maximum extent possible.
Signed at Washington, DC, on April 26, 2007.
Michael W. Yost,
Administrator,
Foreign
Agricultural
Service.