(a) Project agreements may be entered into between the department and cooperators in order to address constraints and encourage the marketing of agricultural commodities in foreign countries. A project agreement may be limited to activities in one country, or may include activities in several countries. Project agreements shall include, but are not limited to, all of the following:
(1) A description of the commodity, or commodities, for which a project agreement is being requested and a statement that California export availabilities are expected to be adequate during the life of the project.
(2) A description of the applicant organization or firm.
(3) A justification for participation in the foreign market development program.
(4) A statement of proposed activities, including specific information on the activities to be conducted, the countries in which they will be undertaken, who will conduct or supervise them, and the expected results.
(5) An estimate of the level of project funds required and an indication of the availability of industry resources to match project funds and personnel needed to carry out the proposed program.
(b) Cooperator activities shall be described and budgeted in a marketing plan which becomes part of the project agreement. The marketing plan shall be separately submitted to the director who may approve or disapprove it. The marketing plan shall be reviewed annually at which time it may be revised by the cooperator or the department, or by both.
(c) The marketing plan shall include all of the following:
(1) The proposed expenditure of state funds and cooperator contributions.
(2) Information on how much funding has been received from the Foreign Agriculture Service in the last five years and if those funds have been requested for the current year.
(3) An identification of the constraints to expanding or maintaining California exports to each market area addressed by the plan.
(4) A description of the proposed activities and the amount of funds, both state and cooperator, to be spent to overcome or mitigate the constraints for the commodity, or commodities, and the country, or countries, covered by the plan.
(5) A report, if available, from local attachés or the counselors regarding potential marketing activities in their countries.
(d) A project agreement may not go into effect pursuant to this chapter without the director’s approval of both the marketing plan and the agreement itself.
(e) The cooperator shall administer and carry out the project agreement and shall permit the director or other state agencies to oversee and periodically inspect and investigate the administration of the project agreement.
(Added by Stats. 1985, Ch. 1189, Sec. 2.)
Last modified: October 25, 2018