USDA outlines trade assistance program for fiscal 2007

USDA outlines trade assistance program for fiscal 2007    The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service will begin accepting “trade adjustment assistance” petitions from producer groups for fiscal 2007, starting Aug. 15.
   Under the 2002 Trade Act, USDA created a program to provide technical help and cash benefits to producers and qualified fishermen. To qualify, the recent marketing year price for the commodity produced by a group must be less than 80 percent of the average of the national price for the five marketing years preceding the most recent marketing year and that increases in imports of a like or directly competitive product contributed significantly to a decline in price.
   The Trade Act authorizes an appropriation of up to $90 million for each fiscal year 2003 through 2007 to carry out the assistance program. The USDA will accept petitions for fiscal 2007 through Jan. 31, 2007.
   To learn more about the program, access online: https://www.fas.usda.gov/itp/taa/taaindex.htm.