USDA invests over $200 million in export market development

Today, the U.S. Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) announced it is awarding $202.7 million to 87 organizations to promote American agricultural products around the world and develop export markets. 

The funding is through the Market Access Program (MAP) and Foreign Market Development Program (FMD). MAP is providing $175.6 million in fiscal year 2023 to 67 nonprofits and cooperatives to support U.S. producers with marketing and promotion activities around the globe, including market research, technical assistance, and support for participation in trade fairs and exhibits. 

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FMD is providing $27.1 million in fiscal year 2023 to 20 trade organizations that represent U.S. agricultural producers. The program focuses on generic promotion of U.S. commodities, rather than consumer-oriented promotion of branded products. The organizations will conduct activities that help maintain or increase demand for U.S. agricultural commodities overseas. 

“In this unique public-private partnership, USDA and the American agricultural industry are working together to expand markets for high-quality, American-made farm and food products worldwide,” says FAS administrator Daniel Whitley. “With industry matching funds, federal investments in these market development programs not only increase agricultural export revenue and volume, but also improve farm income and strengthen the U.S. economy.

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“FAS works hard every day to expand international markets for U.S. farm and food products, to break down trade barriers, and to assist America’s farmers, ranchers, and producers with the resources they need to reach consumers around the world. U.S. agricultural exports reached a record-high $196.4 billion in fiscal year 2022, supporting an estimated 1.2 million jobs.”

MAP and FMD recipients contribute roughly $2.50 for every $1 in federal funding received. 

A recent study, conducted by IHS Markit in cooperation with Doctors Gary Williams and Oral Capps at Texas A&M University, found foreign market development investment through the MAP and FMD programs contributes $45 billion annually in economic output and $22.3 billion annually in gross domestic product, creating U.S. jobs and increasing farm cash receipts.

A list of fiscal year 2023 MAP funding recipients is available on the FY 2023 MAP Funding Allocations page. More information about the program can be found on the Market Access Program (MAP) page.

The FMD Funding Allocations - FY 2023 page contains a list of the FMD funding recipients for FY 2023. The Foreign Market Development Program (FMD) page contains more information about the FMD program.