Congratulations! By completing your export plan, you have taken a very important step toward export success. As you begin to implement your plan, remember that you are not alone. There are a number of export assistance providers available to help U.S. food, fiber, fish, and forest products companies. Although you have learned of a number of these providers through the resource links, it is important to highlight your most important partners in exporting.

When starting to export, the first two partners to contact are your State Department of Agriculture and your State Regional Trade Group (SRTG). There are four SRTG's, covering the West, Midwest, South, and Northeast. The SRTG's promote high-value and processed food products by organizing promotional activities in key overseas markets for selected products produced in their regions. They also administer the FAS's MAP, which provides financial support to small U.S. companies (as defined by the Small Business Administration) for selected export-related expenses on a 50 percent cost-share basis.

Within FAS, the Trade Assistance and Promotion Office (TAPO) provides access to marketing information by country, product, and distribution method, and serves as the first point of contact for all FAS export programs and services. You can reach them by phone at (202) 720-7420, by Fax at (202) 205-9728, and email at TAPO@fas.usda.gov.

Finally, FAS has an extensive network of overseas offices. These offices provide marketing insights and specific marketing opportunities for your products, which are posted on the FAS web site. When planning travel to your target market, contact the FAS overseas office and learn how they can help you.

Remember, you are not alone in your export efforts. These partners are there to be used, and together add up to an impressive advantage for U.S. companies in the competitive international marketplace.