Foreign Service Officer: ORAL ASSESSMENT STUDY GUIDE

The Embassy of the United States of America
Asima, Kuman
MEMORANDUM
From:
To:
Subject:
Brad Field - Agriculture Attaché
Special Projects Working Group
Revitalization of the Cotton Industry Project
I regret that a last minute scheduling conflict prevents me from joining you at today’s meeting.
As the project I wanted to present to you is so important, I have pulled the essential elements
together in this memo for your consideration.
The Kumani cotton industry has suffered serious reverses in recent years.
Many Kumani cotton fields have disappeared or degenerated, and the quality of the native cotton
is now so poor that it is appropriate only for local use. However, Agriculture Minister Rifat
Ziradda thinks conditions are ripe to revitalize this traditional industry given the growing
international demand for natural fibers. By taking advantage of advances in American biotech
research into genetically modified organism (GMO) cotton, particularly at Iowa A&M
University, Ziradda believes that a revitalized cotton industry could eventually employ 5,000
rural families, stem rural migration to over-burdened cities, and generate over $22 million from
annual cotton exports.
The Minister wants to establish an agricultural extension service office in Malik and three
distribution centers in the Wadi Ibrahim area to promote biotech cotton. The total cost of the
project is $495,000, including an $180,000 contribution from us. The U.S. Embassy would pay
for the construction of the extension office ($90,000) and the distribution centers (total $90,000,
each $30,000). The Cotton Council of America and Iowa A&M University will pay the salary
and living expenses of an Iowa A&M technical expert sent to Kuman ($175,000). The Kuman
Government will contribute $140,000 to: Cover the salaries of six local staff members ($60,000)
and import high-quality seeds and environmentally friendly herbicides from the American firm
Sanmonto ($80,000). The Foreign Agricultural Service will provide an in-kind contribution to
the new extension office of used computers for record keeping and marketing and excess
materials on cotton production from USDA’s vast agricultural library.