SUSTA offering export assistance to small ag companies

JACKSON — The Southern United States Trade Association (SUSTA) is now accepting applications for the 2012 Market Access Program (MAP) Branded.

The Branded program is designed to help small agricultural companies enter export markets with 50 percent reimbursement for promotional costs like advertising, exhibiting at trade shows and changes to packaging and labels.

To be eligible for the Branded program, companies must be considered small according to U.S. Small Business Administration standards, have yearly sales of at least $100,000 and promote a brand-name product that is at least 50 percent U.S. agricultural origin.

MAP Branded is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service and administered to southern U.S. companies by SUSTA.

Companies applying for MAP Branded funds can download the pre-qualification form on the SUSTA website at www.susta.org.