News

Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) Administrator Daniel Whitley led a USDA trade mission to the Philippines, July 18–21. He was joined by representatives from 29 U.S. agribusinesses and farm organizations and 10 State departments of agriculture, working together to strengthen trade relationships and further expand export opportunities. “The primary goals were to produce mutually beneficial results to help expand trade, increase collaboration on key issues impacting agriculture in both our countries, and ultimately strengthen Philippine food security,” Whitley said.  International trade missions are integral to FAS’s international marketing efforts, offering U.S. exporters a unique opportunity to build in-person relationships with potential buyers, learn first-hand about the market from industry and FAS trade experts, and ultimately generate sales for their businesses. Participants in the Philippines trade mission reported nearly $1 million in on-site sales and $7.25 million in projected 12-month sales as a result of their travel. USLGE  was represented by President and CEO Dr. Martin Sieber (front row, center of trade delegation photo at end of FAS news article).

Source: USDA Foreign Agricultural Service

USDA is accepting applications from U.S. exporters for a trade mission to Nairobi, Kenya, and Zanzibar, Tanzania, October 31 through November 4, 2022. The mission will offer U.S. agribusinesses the opportunity to unlock new opportunities in East and Central Africa, where strong economic growth is driving demand for imported food and farm products. 

The deadline to apply for the East Africa trade mission is August 12, 2022. Complete information is available at fas.usda.gov/topics/trade-missions/kenya-october-2022.

Source: USDA Foreign Agricultural Service

USDA-Foreign Agricultural Service Administrator Daniel Whitley arrived in Manila today to launch a USDA trade mission to help foster stronger ties and build economic partnerships between the United States and the Philippines. Whitley is joined by representatives from 29 U.S. agribusinesses and farm organizations and 10 State departments of agriculture that are interested in exploring export opportunities in the Philippines. USLGE  is being represented by its President and CEO Dr. Martin Sieber.

Source: USDA Foreign Agricultural Service

USLGE  is 1 of 29 U.S. agribusinesses and farm organizations that are participating in a USDA-sponsored trade mission to Manila, Philippines. The trade mission will be led by Daniel Whitley, the Administrator of USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS). The Philippines is the 8th-largest market for U.S. agricultural exports, averaging $3.1 billion annually during the last 5 years. Participants will engage directly with potential buyers, receive in-depth market briefs from FAS and industry trade experts, and participate in site visits.

Source: USDA Foreign Agricultural Service

USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has announced new efforts to help prevent the introduction and spread of African swine fever (ASF) in the United States. Through an outreach and awareness campaign called "Protect Our Pigs," APHIS will support commercial pork producers, veterinarians, and pig owners with information and resources to help safeguard America’s swine population and the pork industry.

The new Protect Our Pigs website (aphis.usda.gov/ProtectOurPigs) will house materials such as downloadable fact sheets and posters, instructional videos, shareable social media graphics, a new interactive biosecurity guide, and offer the latest disease updates. As part of these outreach efforts, on June 29, 2022, at 3 pm (EDT), APHIS will host African Swine Fever: What You Need to Know, a virtual event that will feature a panel of experts representing the pork industry, pig owners, and veterinarians to discuss the latest on the disease, protective actions and respond to questions. To learn more and register for the event, go to facebook.com/events/5417174611628019.

Source: USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

Programs to help U.S. farmers build markets overseas boosted agricultural exports by an average of $9.6 billion annually from 1977 to 2019, representing 13.7% of total agricultural export value and returning $24.50 in additional net export revenue for every dollar spent on export promotion. Those are the key conclusions from a study commissioned by the U.S. Grains Council on behalf of members of the U.S. Agricultural Export Development Council (USAEDC) to evaluate USDA’s Market Access Program (MAP) and Foreign Market Development (FMD) program. The study was conducted by IHS Markit in cooperation with Drs. Gary Williams and Oral Capps at Texas A&M University, both experts on evaluating the economic performance of trade promotion programs.

The MAP and FMD programs are authorized by the Farm Bill and administered by USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service. The programs form part of the public-private partnerships that offer competitive cost-share grants for foreign market development activities to USAEDC members. The study reported that these market development programs effectively leveraged industry contributions, averaging between 70–77% of expenditures from 2013–19, valued at an estimated annual average of $567 million.

Source: USAEDC News, May 18, 2022