From the NFGA Newsletter, Volume 75, No. 43, December 1, 2023.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced this week it will award $300 million during the first year of its new $1.2 billion Regional Agricultural Promotion Program (RAPP).
Farm groups, cooperatives, state agencies and other entities can apply for the funds beginning Feb. 2, 2024. They will have five years to use the funds to promote U.S. agricultural exports in any foreign markets except China, Mexico, Canada and the European Union. Those are already the largest foreign markets for U.S. farm goods, and USDA said it wants to focus on expanding markets in Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia and Latin America.