USDA OPENS REGIONAL EXPORT OUTREACH OFFICE IN ATLANTA   
                                            Release No.0398.98 

                                     Tom Amontree (202) 720-4623
                                              tamontree@usda.gov
                                 Marlene Phillips (202) 720-2061
                                             phillipsms@usda.gov

USDA OPENS REGIONAL EXPORT OUTREACH OFFICE IN ATLANTA   

     WASHINGTON, Oct. 1, 1998 Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman today
announced the opening of a new regional USDA export outreach office in Atlanta. 

     "Exports remain a vital part of the U.S. economy, providing jobs in
farming, food processing, manufacturing, and transportation," said Glickman. 
"By expanding our outreach efforts, we hope to alert business to trade
opportunities and reduce the negative perceptions about the difficulty of
exporting products overseas.  The best way to do this is by helping U.S.
cooperatives, new businesses, small companies, and minority-owned businesses
achieve exporting success."

     USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service is working to develop active
partnerships with key groups in the area, such as state departments of
agriculture, universities, trade and economic development groups, state and
local governments, regional trade centers, and food industry and farm
organizations.  "This cooperative effort demonstrates what can be accomplished
when the federal government, state governments, and private sector groups work
together as a team," said Glickman.

     With the opening of this new office in the U.S. Export Assistance Center
in Atlanta, U.S. companies, cooperatives, and processors in Georgia,
Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Tennessee will have a
starting point for learning about private and public export assistance and
other available resources to help them tap into overseas markets.   

     FAS also has export outreach offices in Des Moines, Iowa, Portland, Ore.,
and Sacramento, Calif.  Later this fall, FAS will open another office in
Dallas, Texas, within the World Trade Center.

     The new export outreach office will be headed by Donald Van DeWerken of
FAS and is located at 285 Peach Tree Center Avenue, Northeast, Suite 200,
Atlanta, GA 30303-1229 (tel. 404-657-1900; fax 404-657-1970; e-mail
vandewerken@fas.usda.gov).

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