AID cooperative agreement no. EUR-0024-A-00-2037-00 to Agricultural Cooperative Development International (ACDI) in support of a program to provide assistance in restructuring agriculture and agribusinesses in Hungary

university and agribusinesses for a project to help privatize selected Hungarian agribusinesses. ACDI will provide overall management, while Iowa State University"s Center for Agriculture and Rural Development (CARD), Farmland Industries, and Tri Valley growers will provide training and technical expertise. During the first year, a rigorous identification process will select 25 Hungarian firms with the best chances for economic success and pair them with appropriate U.S. agribusinesses. Interns from the Hungarian firms will work with mentors from the U.S. firms to prepare privatization plans; initially, priority attention will be given to soon-to-be privatized processing plants. Two workshops will be held following the internships, one in the United States to refine the privatization plans and a second in Hungary to present the plans to the Hungarian firms, and follow-up TA will be provided to the 25 firms and the Hungarian government in privatization. This cycle of events will be repeated in year two and three, possibly with new privatization emphases. Because the project involves U.S. agribusinesses that are interested in investing in Hungary, it is expected to stimulate joint venture opportunities.