The United States Department of Agriculture, Farm Service Agency (FSA) is seeking information from biofuel and other nonfood producers to determine industry interest and capability in utilizing sugar in their manufacturing processes and also seeks information from sugar processors and other interested participants. This RFI serves only as the market research tool to survey and obtain information from sugar processors, biofuel producers, other nonfood producers, and any other interested participants. All information gathered in this response will be used solely for planning purposes. Please provide responses to the following questions (categorized by general contact information, sugar processors, buyers of sugar, storage and miscellaneous) that pertain to you. These responses are requested by April 4, 2014, by regular mail, express mail, facsimile or email: General Contact Information: 1. Company name and address 2. Point of contact (name, title, telephone and email) 3. Participant type: sugar processor, biofuel producer, other nonfood use producer, or other interested participant Sugar Processors: 4. What challenges or issues, if any, have you encountered in coordinating with buyers loading out of your facility? 5. What challenges, if any, are you encountering or will you encounter in terms of Crop Year 2013 sugar? Buyers of Sugar (Biofuel or other Nonfood Use Producers): 6. Where are your operations located (city/state)? 7. Is your plant (buyers of sugar) equipped to utilize sugar in your manufacturing process? 8. How common is the capability of biofuel producers to provide their own means of transportation? If they have the capability, do they typically receive sugar in bulk by truck and/or rail at their facility? How many trucks and/or rail cars can you handle per day? 9. Which type of sugar (sugar beet, sugar cane, in-process) would your operation be able to utilize? 10. If sugar is sold for yeast production, do you consider the yeast a non-food product? Please explain. 11. What other type of end products should be considered "restricted use" (not for human consumption) for sugar sales? 12. How much sugar (in pounds) can you utilize in a day/week in your operations? 13. How would you utilize sugar for non-human consumption, specifically, what type of finished material or product would you produce? 14. What is your normal conversion ratio (how many pounds sugar utilized to produce a pound of nonfood product, including biofuel)? Storage: 15. Please explain the challenges with buying product "instore", specifically, any storage, loadout, or transportation issues you have encountered? Would you prefer that parties strictly agree to the terms of the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) Sugar Storage Agreement (SSA) and that the sugar processor and buyer be protected by the SSA, Form CCC-28, Part 2.D.(1) and (2) (please see http://forms.sc.egov.usda.gov/efcommon/eFileServices/eForms/CCC28.PDF), or do you prefer that the USDA/FSA not intervene and allow parties to resolve issues between themselves after CCC has transferred title? 16. Do you have any storage capability/capacity for sugar at your biofuel/nonfood operations? 17. If you do not have sugar storage capability at your operations, then how would you plan to receive sugar at your facility? Miscellaneous: 18. How should CCC value sugar for the following actions: a. Procuring sugar under the Cost Reduction Option (CRO) or Feedstock Flexibility Program (FFP)? b. Selling sugar from CCC inventory? 19. How could our invitations be structured to encourage more interest, i.e., size of lots offered, etc.? 20. Do you have any other recommendations in terms of pertinent information that should be included in our solicitations to help you formulate your offers? Please submit responses to the following: By Regular Mail: USDA-FSA-DACO-KCCO Beacon Facility - Mailstop 8698 PO Box 419205 Kansas City, MO 64141-6205 By Express Mail: Hand delivered: Kansas City Commodity Office USDA-CCC-FSA - Mailstop 8698 6501 Beacon Drive Kansas City, MO 64133-4676 By Facsimile: 816-926-6795 By Email:
[email protected] This is not a formal solicitation, but rather a request for interested parties to provide information and provides no guarantee of any future offer by the CCC to sell sugar. Please see the following link to access recent sugar sales activity under the FFP: http://www.fsa.usda.gov/FSA/webapp?area=home&subject=coop&topic=pas-sa An additional point of contact for this activity is: Martha Mitchell CCC Contracting Officer Email:
[email protected] Telephone: 816-926-3816 FSA appreciates your interest in providing information that will allow us to proceed with any future sales activity in the most efficient manner. Thank you in advance for your efforts.