USDA TO DONATE WHEAT TO EL SALVADOR

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service has issued the following press release:

The U.S. Department of Agriculture today announced that it will donate 15,500 metric tons of wheat to the Government of El Salvador (GOES).

The GOES will sell the wheat in El Salvador and use the proceeds to carry out trade capacity building activities that will integrate sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) regulatory information systems, upgrade laboratory infrastructure and analytical methods capability, and strengthen national SPS enquiry points for the World Trade Organization. Additionally, the donation will help improve inspection and sanitary standards for animal products, develop risk assessment methodologies and mitigation methods, develop traceability of agricultural products through the production and marketing chain, foster coordination and participation in international standard-setting organizations, and develop harmonized control, use, and registry of banned pesticides.

The donation will be made under USDA's Food for Progress program, administered by the Foreign Agricultural Service. The supply period for this donation is fiscal year 2006.

The Food for Progress program provides for USDA donations of agricultural commodities to needy countries to encourage economic or agricultural reforms that foster free enterprise. This year, USDA expects to donate around 560,000 tons of U.S. commodities to 28 countries under Food for Progress.

For further information, contact Dwight Wilder of FAS at (202) 720-5443, or by e-mail at dwight.wilder@fas.usda.gov.

FAS news releases are available on the Internet at http://www.fas.usda.gov.