Cochran Fellowship Program on Produce Marketing and Handling for the Philippines, Jamaica, and the Dominican Republic

Design and delivery of a two week training program on Produce Marketing and Handling for 12 fruit and vegetable importers, exports, and government officials: Six (6) Filipinos, five (5) Jamaicans, and one (1) Dominican. The training should provide fresh fruit and vegetable importers, exporters, and government officials with the understanding of the variety of U.S. fruit and vegetable production and fruit and vegetable quality standards and market reliability. The program should also focus on proper storage, handling, and display techniques and import and export requirements for U.S. produce. The team should visit major fruit and vegetable growing/packing regions in the United States (preferably California and the Pacific Northwest) to see the quality and food safety standards and regulations under which U.S. fruits and vegetables are grown and packed for export. These visits should educate visitors on growers' regulatory compliance with respect to approved pesticides, as well as grades and standards required by USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), which ensure U.S. fruits and vegetables are a safe, wholesome, and consistent choices for consumers.

    In addition, the program should provide tours of major retailers/grocers to show current U.S. marketing and display trends and techniques to increase sales, as well as demonstrate proper cold-storage and handling techniques. The program should be scheduled to include participation in the Produce Marketing Association's (PMA) Fresh Summit Convention & Expo on October 23-25, 2015 in Atlanta Georgia.  

Please submit all questions by September 4, 2015, at 12:00 p.m. EST.

***Should three or more small businesses respond, this will be a total small business set aside contract and only small businesses will be considered***