The U.S. Grains Council (USGC) has announced the receipt of a $16 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) under its Regional Agriculture Promotion Program (RAPP). This second round of funding follows an initial $17 million allocation in 2024, reinforcing the USDA's commitment to expanding market opportunities for U.S. agricultural products globally.
Key points of the announcement include:
- The new funding will support ongoing programs and enable expansion into additional markets.
- Target regions include Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, South and Southeast Asia, with new opportunities in the European Union.
- The grant will focus on export market development for both U.S. ethanol and feed grains.
USGC Chairwoman Verity Ulibarri expressed gratitude for the USDA's continued support, stating, "We thank the USDA for having confidence in our programming and look forward to using the funding to continue to achieve measurable results for U.S. producers, buyers and sellers alike."
Ryan LeGrand, USGC President and CEO, highlighted the strategic importance of the funding, noting, "It's a very big world, and we are excited to work the additional funding into our export market promotion efforts already underway, but also into new ones for which we've been planning for years."
The RAPP initiative, launched at the request of the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, aims to diversify and strengthen U.S. agricultural export markets. This latest funding round underscores the government's commitment to supporting American farmers and agribusinesses in an increasingly competitive global marketplace.
