Market Access Program
Encyclopedia
The Market Access Program (MAP; formerly the Market Promotion Program) is administered by the Foreign Agricultural Service
Foreign Agricultural Service
The Foreign Agricultural Service is the foreign affairs agency with primary responsibility for the United States Department of Agriculture's overseas programs—market development, international trade agreements and negotiations, and the collection of statistics and market information...

 and uses funds from the Commodity Credit Corporation
Commodity Credit Corporation
The Commodity Credit Corporation is a wholly owned government corporation created in 1933 to "stabilize, support, and protect farm income and prices"...

 (CCC). It helps producers, exporters, private companies, and other trade organizations finance promotional activities for agricultural products of the United States. MAP is designed to encourage development, maintenance, and expansion of commercial agricultural export markets. As such, it is considered to be a World Trade Organization
World Trade Organization
The World Trade Organization is an organization that intends to supervise and liberalize international trade. The organization officially commenced on January 1, 1995 under the Marrakech Agreement, replacing the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade , which commenced in 1948...

 "Green Box" program
Green box policies
Green box policies refer to domestic or trade policies that are deemed to be minimally trade-distorting and that are excluded from reduction commitments in the Uruguay Round Agreement on Agriculture...

. Activities financed include consumer promotions, market research, technical assistance, and trade servicing.

The Export Incentive Program, which is part of MAP, helps United States commercial entities conduct brand promotion activities including advertising, trade shows, in-store demonstrations, and trade seminars. MAP was authorized through 2012 by the 2008 Farm Bill
Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008
The Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 was a $288 billion, five-year agricultural policy bill that was passed into law by the United States Congress on June 18, 2008. The bill was a continuation of the 2002 Farm Bill. It continues the United States' long history of agricultural subsidy as...

(P.L. 110-246). The program promotes exports of specific United States-produced commodities and products to specific markets. Under MAP, program participants are reimbursed for their expenses in carrying out approved promotional activities. Participating organizations include nonprofit trade associations, state regional trade groups, farmer cooperatives and small businesses. Funding authority was limited to $100 million in fiscal year 2002, rising gradually to $200 million each in fiscal years 2006 through 2010.
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