At the recent U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) Strategic Planning Conference, USDA Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Alexis Taylor updated USMEF members on the Regional Agricultural Promotion Program (RAPP).
RAPP will utilize $1.3 billion from the Commodity Credit Corporation to bolster development of export markets for U.S. agricultural products. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the program in late October and more details were published in the Federal Register on Friday, Nov. 17.
Taylor explains that since 2019, the Agricultural Trade Promotion Program (ATP) has produced excellent results for U.S. agriculture. With ATP funding soon coming to an end, RAPP will allow U.S. agricultural industries to continue to invest and compete in key regions where ATP supported promotional activities. Taylor also discusses the proven track record of USDA’s export market development programs in generating positive returns for U.S. agriculture.
