USDA has allocated $300 million to 66 organizations in the United States - including the Cherry Marketing Institute, the U.S. Grains Council, and the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council - to create demand for the export of American food and agricultural products in high-potential markets worldwide.
Through the new Regional Agricultural Promotion Program (RAPP), USDA has authorized $1.2 billion in funding from the Commodity Credit Corp. to help U.S. exporters expand their customer base beyond established markets. The regions targeted are Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, South and Southeast Asia.
Among the beneficiaries are the Cherry Marketing Institute, which will receive $450,000, the USGC, which will receive $17 million in funding, and the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council, which will receive $1.3 million. The American Soybean Association received the largest amount of funding, totaling $28.5 million.
"These funds will go to over 60 partner organizations that will help create demand for U.S. agricultural and food exports in high-potential markets worldwide," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.
"We will fund hundreds of projects, covering a wide and vast variety of products and markets, from creating demand for American meat exports in Africa to promoting American olives in Latin America, to breaking down trade barriers for white coffee in Japan."
Read the full article: Farm Progress
Image: AgMRC
10 Jun 2025
In Moldova, research on cherry trees shows how growth regulators and anti-frost products improve cold tolerance and fruit yields. The use of paclobutrazol and Cropaid NPA enhanced flowering, vegetative growth, and productivity in varieties like Lapins and Skeena.
02 Jul 2024
Roxane Flores, Director of Human Capital Development and Regulatory Affairs at AFIPA, shares her visit with Cristián Osorio, a cherry grower from Coltauco, and together they discuss the main challenges that Chilean farmers face in bringing their cherries to international markets.
06 Mar 2026
In Chile, the world leader in cherry exports, an INIA study analyzes the evolution of Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae in commercial orchards. The research highlights local adaptation and copper resistance as key factors for integrated management and sustainable production.
06 Mar 2026
Tart cherries, rich in melatonin, tryptophan and polyphenols, may improve sleep and reduce inflammation and oxidative stress. A review of seven clinical studies analyzed effects on sleep duration, efficiency and biomarkers, with promising but not consistent results.
