FAS, NASDA AND NMS LAUNCH NEW IT SYSTEM TO DISTRIBUTE TRADE LEADS FROM FAS COUNTRY OFFICES DIRECTLY TO STATE DEPARTMENTS OF AGRICULTURE AND STATE REGIONAL TRADE GROUPS

News Date May 02, 2008

       NASDA and New Media Solutions, Inc. (NMS) has announced the release of a new web-based, "back-office" IT system that will allow Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) field offices to disseminate agricultural trade leads originating from foreign buyers directly to key contacts at state departments of agriculture and state regional trade groups (SRTGs) for export opportunity review. The features of the system were on display at the U.S. Food Export Showcase during the Global Food Fair Tradeshow in Chicago from April 27 to 29, 2008.   
       The trade lead system is a component of a larger IT deliverable created by NASDA and NMS for FAS whereby FAS field offices and state co-operator groups have their own private, password-controlled interfaces that allow for customized access to managed foreign buyer and U.S. supplier databases and an integrated suite of web-based applications and services that facilitate improved marketing and communication with buyers as well as knowledge-sharing among U.S. agricultural co-operator groups.
       "This new system will allow FAS field offices to stream business opportunities directly to state departments of agriculture and SRTGs, but will protect the identity of the buyer and leave the ultimate control over the trade lead opportunity in the hands of the field office. The system also engages the states and regional trade groups to participate in the process of managing U.S. supplier data integrity which will improve the quality of the business opportunity and will facilitate the ability to track the overall success of each export opportunity generated through the system," according to DeWitt Ashby, project manager and NASDA's director of trade shows. "This system brings the stakeholders together in a private, real time deliverable that will facilitate and track U.S. agricultural export opportunity to improve agricultural export success for U.S. suppliers," Ashby maintains. (Contact: DeWitt Ashby)