USDA Funds Pilot ‘Samples' Program

June 26, 2001

Twenty-one recipients that will share in $1.2 million in funds made available for the second year of the pilot Quality Samples Program (QSP). USDA said the program is intended to create export sales by promoting awareness of U.S. agricultural goods among foreign buyers. The QSP is used to fund projects that broadly benefit agricultural industries rather than individual exporters.

Under the program, recipients procure agricultural products, export them to foreign markets, and provide a target audience with technical assistance on how to use them. When the project is finished, USDA reimburses the costs of procuring and exporting the samples.

Each proposal was evaluated on several criteria, including the likelihood that the project would effectively demonstrate the benefits of the U.S. product, the applicant's technical and trade experience, the potential for expanding commercial sales in the market, and the financial and in-kind contributions of applicants and importers. Applications were accepted from January to March. The program is administered by USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service.

For additional information on the program, contact the FAS Marketing Operations Staff at (202) 720-4327 or at AG Box 1041, USDA, Washington DC 20250-1042. Information is also available online at http://www.fas.usda.gov/export.html.