wissanu01/iStock/Thinkstock. Fully funded export programs are critical to help U.S. farmers, ranchers and food exporters keep pace with the rest of the world’s exporting countries.
American farmers and rural businesses need continued investment in the Market Access Program (MAP) and the Foreign Market Development (FMD) Program to make up for lost export opportunities in the pandemic and to fight foreign competition. That is the message the Coalition to Promote U.S. Agricultural Exports sent in letters to House and Senate Agricultural Appropriations Subcommittee leaders. The letter was signed by 130 agricultural organizations, including American Feed Industry Association, National Chicken Council, National Pork Producers Council, National Milk Producers Federation, and National Cattleman’s Beef Association, North American Meat Institute, and the U.S. Meat Export Federation.
Pierre, SD, USA / DRGNews
Mar 15, 2021 8:49 AM
The Coalition to Promote U.S. Agricultural Exports says farmers and rural businesses need continued investment in the Market Access Program and the Foreign Market Development Program. Those programs are necessary to make up for the lost export opportunities brought on by COVID-19 and fight foreign competition. The coalition sent a letter on that topic to House and Senate Agricultural Appropriations Subcommittee leaders that was signed by 130 agricultural organizations. “Studies show these public-private programs provide a rate of return that far exceeds their public expense,” says Robbie Minnich, Coalition Chair and Senior Government Relations Representative with the National Cotton Council. “Our organizations are asking leadership to provide $255 million for Agricultural Trade Promotion and Facilitation apportioned under the Farm Bill, and from that amount, MAP should receive at least $200 million to promote agri-food products i