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Pursuant to 22 CFR 216.3(a)(4), a Scoping Statement was subsequently
prepared for the EXITOS EA (Appendix 2) and submitted by cable to the LAC
Bureau Environmental Officer (BEO) in AID/W for concurrence. The BEO
concurred with the scoping statement in May 1991 (State 153200; Appendix 3).
Although only the Agricultural Component of EXITOS will be authorized In
FY 1991, ROCAP plans to amend the Project In FY'92 to include a
non-traditional Light Industrial Export Component. This EA therefore assesses
the reasonably foreseeable environmental impacts likely to result from
implementation of both the agricultural and light industrial components of the
Project.
3.0 ALTERNATIVES INCLUDING THE PROPOSED ACTION
3.1 DESCRIPTION OF ALTERNATIVES
Three alternatives, including the proposed action,
for
were
environmental
evaluated
assessment purposes. These alternatives
Project
were:
as
(1)
described
the
in the Project Paper of July, 1991;
designed
(2) a Project
as an environmental endeavor focussed on studying the
environmental
adverse
impacts of continued CA non-traditional exports;
Action
and
Alternative,
(3) a No
i.e., no continued NTE support activities funded
after
by
termination
ROCAP
of the ongoing PROEXAG Project. Two
were
of these
analyzed
alternatives
considering the three issues described and approved in
Initial
the
Environmental Evaluation (IEE) of: (1) pesticide use;
natural
(2) potential
resource use conflicts; and (3) potential light industrial
and
pollution
waste disposal problems. Pursuant to 22 CFR 216, Alternative 2 was
deleted from detailed consideration.
3.1.1 Alternative 1: EXITOS as Desianed
EXITOS in a four year, US$ 14.0 million activity. The goal
to which EXITOS will contribute in the long-term is broad-based economic
growth in Central America, with cumulative Increases in the volume and value
of NTA and NTI products. The Project "purpose", attainable over the life of
Project (LOP), Is to "increase the sales and profitability of Central American
non-traditional agricultural and manufactured export products".
The Project's objectives are to: strengthen private sector organizations
promoting trade and investment; stimulate agricultural production and trade;
promote technological improvement; increase market information systems and
networks; and increase participation in income-generating opportunities by
segments of the society previously at the margin of the mainstream economic
system.
EXITOS has two components. The Agricultural Component concentrates on
five specific agriculturally related export areast (1) institutional
development of counterpart export federations and commodity trade groupst (2)