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West’s specialty crops get funds to expand marketsWest’s specialty crops get funds to expand markets

More than $80 million provided by USDA’s RAPP program.

Tim Hearden, Western Farm Press

June 14, 2024

5 Min Read
Containers on ships
The USDA’s new Regional Agricultural Promotion Program will help organizations promote West Coast specialty crops in emerging markets.Getty Images

West Coast specialty crop industries secured more than one-quarter of a $300 million initial round of grants from the USDA’s new Regional Agricultural Promotion Program, which was established last year to build demand for American food and farm exports in other global markets.

At the request of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack launched RAPP in October, authorizing $1.2 billion in Commodity Credit Corporation funding over five years to help U.S. exporters expand their customer base into emerging markets in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and South and Southeast Asia.

Alexis Taylor, the USDA’s under secretary for trade and foreign agricultural affairs, said RAPP will help businesses and commodity groups gain a foothold in places like India, where a growing middle class and younger urban consumers are looking for healthier and more diverse food options.

“If we get in today, we will build lifelong consumers,” Taylor told Farm Press June 13 as she was in Montana for a series of meetings. “I think that’s exciting, but it’s also very important for the long-term viability of our agricultural community.”

Tree nuts supported

In all, the USDA received nearly $1 billion in first-round requests after seeking proposals, Taylor said. Among the 66 organizations to receive funds are groups that promote West Coast tree nuts – almonds, walnuts, pistachios, pecans and hazelnuts – which will combine for nearly $23.5 million.

Scott Fryer, the American Pistachio Growers’ vice president of global marketing, told Farm Press the organization’s $5 million grant will enhance APG’s efforts in promoting the nut in high-growth markets such as India, where demand continues to rise.

“These funds will not only help APG expand its presence in Asian markets, but also allow it to break into new territories where consumer demand and purchasing power are on the rise,” Fryer said in an email. “The RAPP funding opens exciting opportunities for APG to enhance distribution channels and boost sales in innovative ways.”

APG’s strategy will include facilitating connections between potential buyers and APG processors, ensuring that the supply chain remains strong and that growing prices stay competitive, Fryer said.

“With this new funding, APG is prepared to drive the demand for American pistachios to new heights, benefitting all its dedicated growers,” he said.

With its $7 million, the Almond Board of California will promote its product in five international markets: India, Morocco, Turkey, Indonesia and Brazil. India has seen a growing appetite for American tree nuts, and all of the countries have expanding middle-class populations, Almond Board officials said. Blue Diamond Growers also received $3 million.

“Securing the RAPP funding is a strategic win for the California almond industry,” said Jonathan Hoff, chair of ABC’s Global Technical and Regulatory Affairs Committee. “It allows us to be proactive in our approach to market development and build stronger trade relationships, ensuring that our products reach more consumers worldwide.”

Groups receiving funds

In all, the following organizations promoting West Coast specialty crops received funding:

  • American Pecan Council, $1 million

  • American Pistachio Growers, $5 million

  • Almond Board of California and Blue Diamond Growers, $10 million

  • Brewers Association, Inc., $2 million

  • California Agricultural Export Council, $1 million

  • California Cherry Marketing and Research Board, $750,000

  • California Fresh Fruit Association, $1 million

  • California Olive Committee, $600,000

  • California Prune Board, $4.2 million

  • California Table Grape Commission, $3.35 million

  • California Walnut Commission, $7 million

  • Cherry Marketing Institute, $450,000

  • Hazelnut Marketing Board, $455,000

  • Hop Growers of America, $1.2 million

  • National Potato Promotion Board, $6.5 million

  • National Watermelon Promotion Board, $300,000

  • Northwest Wine Promotion Coalition, $2.4 million

  • Organic Trade Association, $2.5 million

  • Pear Bureau Northwest, $4.025 million

  • Raisin Administrative Committee, $1.245 million

  • Sunkist Growers, $1.45 million

  • Washington Apple Commission, $7 million

  • Washington State Fruit Commission, $900,000

  • Western U.S. Agricultural Trade Association, $6.035 million

  • Wine Institute, $13 million

Several national organizations also received funding, including the American Soybean Association ($28.5 million), the U.S. Dairy Export Council ($10 million, the U.S. Meat Export Federation ($21 million), U.S. Wheat Associates ($13 million) and the USA Poultry and Egg Export Council ($9 million).

The poultry and egg group will use its funds to sustain the industry’s reputation internationally amid the ongoing battle against highly pathogenic avian influenza, said Shelby Watson, the trade organization’s manager of internal operations.

The RAPP grants’ announcement in May followed two other specialty crop-related grant programs unveiled by USDA earlier this year – a $65 million Assisting Specialty Crop Exports initiative and $72.9 million for the latest round of Specialty Crop Block Grants.

West Coast is important

Taylor, the USDA’s trade under secretary since 2022, became familiar with West Coast specialty crops as Oregon’s state agriculture director for five years before beginning her second stint at USDA. A former aide to U.S. Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., Taylor served in the Foreign Agricultural Service during President Barack Obama’s administration before going to Oregon in 2017.

She was in Montana for roundtable meetings in Bozeman and Billings, where she promoted RAPP and a USDA-led initiative at the United Nations to declare 2026 the International Year of the Woman Farmer. She was then proceeding to Vancouver, B.C., for a trade mission focused on indigenous producers.

“This program is supporting many of our specialty crop sectors,” Taylor said of RAPP. “We’re really excited about the projects they brought forward. I was in India recently, and a lot of the businesses and organizations that joined us were from the specialty crop sector.

“India is a really good market for products like dried blueberries, for which we reduced tariffs last year, as well as for cherries, and for pecans, almonds, hazelnuts and every other tree nut in between,” she said.

[This story has been updated.]

About the Author

Tim Hearden

Western Farm Press

Tim Hearden is a more than 35-year veteran of agricultural, government and community journalism. He came to Farm Progress in 2018 after a nine-year stint as the California field reporter for Capital Press, an agribusiness newspaper. He spent 20 years as a reporter for daily newspapers, winning California News Publishing Association awards for reporting on flooding and drought for the Napa Valley Register and Redding Record Searchlight, respectively. He is active in North American Agricultural Journalists, a professional organization.

“I believe publications like Farm Press are the future of news and information media,” Hearden said. “People are hungry for thorough, accurate and even-handed reporting from sources that understand and respect their way of life. Ag media is one of the most vibrant and robust sectors in media, and I’m proud to be a part of it.”

A lifelong Californian, Hearden lives in Redding, Calif., with his wife, Sara, a preschool teacher and third-generation Shasta County resident.

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