On April 22, 2013, USAID awarded the Central America Regional Trade & Market Alliance Project to Nathan Associates. This three-year, $18 million project, which includes $6.2 million in grants, will be based in El Salvador and has a two-year option period.

The purpose of the project is to improve trade facilitation, institutional capacity building, and market access in value chains vital to food security. Over the course of the project, we expect to

• Select and support agricultural value chains that hold promise for improving nutrition as well as economic growth in Central America.
• Use grants and private sector support to foster a market-oriented approach to food security and to promote best practices in agricultural production.
• Apply diagnostic tools to pinpoint bottlenecks and suggest ways to reduce costs in the transport corridors vital to the selected value chains.
• Recommend ways to modernize cross-border clearance processes.
• Provide institutional support to Central America’s Regional Integration Secretariat.
• Develop a regional customs certification program.

DAI is Nathan Associates’ subcontractor for this project, and our local partner is the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture.