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program are a testament to the partnership that exists between 

 our industry and the individuals who have worked in this division. 



We strongly recommend that the subcommittees urge FAS to 

 stop this unnecessary reorganization and maintain and improve 

 the current successful structure by increasing communication and 

 coordination with the FAS trade policy function, which coordinates 

 FAS's trade policy, information gathering, analysis, and marketing 

 generate an export promotion program that is synergistic and un- 

 paralleled in effectiveness. 



We urge strong support for the current overseas FAS staff. We 

 rely on the information and trade policy reports from these posts 

 and from the analysis of the domestic marketing staff. When a new 

 market opportunity presents itself, it is usually the overseas post 

 who is first to alert us in our industry. We then take that informa- 

 tion back to our members to devise strategies for promotion. 



FAS also helps us to monitor and evaluate our gains. This analy- 

 sis has helped focus the export picture more clearly on value-added 

 gains, the most rapidly growing export sector in the wood products 

 industry. Any proposal for reorganization, we hope, would be dis- 

 cussed with the agricultural commodity groups using the program. 



When Secretary Espy speaks of the need to focus on export mar- 

 keting activities, he is talking about how to make a good program 

 even better. We know we can help. We ask FAS to reach out to its 

 partners in export promotion for their ideas and concerns. This dia- 

 log needs to be initiated when the Department is in the formative 

 stage of its decisionmaking process. 



Finally, a word about the national export strategy issued by the 

 Trade Promotion Coordinating Committee. The TPCC report fo- 

 cused on increased coordination between trade policy and market- 

 ing initiatives, taking advantage of trade policy created, export op- 

 portunities, the need for priority driven programs generated by a 

 rigorous methodology and the identification of programs which best 

 reflect each agency's comparative advantage in delivering priority 

 export services. 



We know of no other Gk)vemment program that is as effective in 

 meeting the objectives set forth in the TPCC directive as the coop- 

 erative FAS industry export expansion program. 



On behalf of our industry, I would like to thank you, Mr. Chair- 

 man, for your strong support of FAS programs and your commit- 

 ment to listen and work with us as we make these programs more 

 effective. 



Thank you. 



[The prepared statement of Mr. Webster appears at the conclu- 

 sion of the hearing.] 



Mr. Penny. Thank you, Mr. Webster. 



Mr. Horn, do you have questions of this panel. 



Mr. Horn. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just a couple of brief 

 questions. I am interested in your testimony, Mr. Webster, on the 

 relations with FAS, and I would like to ask all of you, including 

 you, Mr. Webster, who has touched on it, what is the t3^ical rela- 

 tions you might have with FAS in the course of a month or a year 

 that relates to focusing on where new markets might be, in your 

 case, in the hardwood industry and where perhaps they should be 

 locating additional resources. 



