WASHINGTON — The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) is allotting an additional $300 million to support the expansion of US food and agricultural exports in emerging global markets. This second round of Regional Agricultural Promotion Program (RAPP) grants will be distributed across 67 agricultural organizations including the American Feed Industry Association (AFIA), North American Renderers Association (NARA) and Pet Food Institute (PFI).
With this investment, total funding for the program in 2024 will top $600 million. The first round of RAPP was announced in May.
“RAPP is a critical tool for helping US producers and agribusinesses stay competitive in today’s global trading environment,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “The Biden-Harris approach to trade is delivering results for US agriculture through record exports and improved relationships with current and future trading partners, and this investment supports actions that build on the global demand for American agriculture’s high-quality products.”
Awards are contingent on the completion of legal and administrative requirements relating to the grant, USDA noted.
Within the pet food industry, grants were allocated to AFIA ($1 million), NARA ($3 million) and PFI ($1.65 million).
“We appreciate the USDA’s continued recognition of AFIA’s pivotal role in advancing the U.S. feed ingredient and pet food industries on the global stage,” said Constance Cullman, president and chief executive officer of AFIA. “This funding underscores our shared commitment to a strong U.S. agricultural economy by building strong relationships with foreign buyers, expanding opportunities for American agricultural exports and boosting the competitiveness of US animal food manufacturers in emerging markets.”
In 2023, the overall export value for feed, feed ingredients and pet food was $13.4 billion and the total volume of exports of these products amounted to 19.8 million metric tons.
“USDA’s decision to allocate another $3 million in RAPP funding to NARA feels like a real vote of confidence for the work we’ve done over the years and the vision we’ve cast for the future,” said Dana Downing, senior vice president of International Programs at NARA. “We look forward to working with our members to prioritize markets and activities that will generate new commercial opportunities and provide ongoing trade servicing to our customers.”
At least $600,000 of NARA’s $3 million RAPP 2025 award will be earmarked for market assessment and early-stage market development initiatives on the continent.
NARA’s President and CEO Kent Swisher added, “This second round of RAPP funding will allow NARA to continue innovating and expanding our educational outreach and trade servicing work. These funds help our association work with US government officials to knock down trade barriers, advocate for food waste reduction and sustainable agricultural practices, and meet the changing needs of our customers worldwide.”
With this second round of funding, USDA seeks to diversify export markets in regions with rising consumer demand and purchasing power, including Africa, Latin America/the Caribbean and South/Southeast Asia. For projects focused on Africa alone, the USDA has set aside $25 million.
Applications for this round of funding opened in August 2024. USDA received eligible entries requesting more than $1 billion in grants combined, far exceeding the available amount of funds.
RAPP is funded by the Commodity Credit Corp.
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