THE US DRY BEAN COUNCIL (USDBC) GRATEFUL FOR ADDITIONAL USDA SUPPORT IN SECOND TRANCH OF TRADE MITIGATION FUNDING
July 23, 2019PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 23, 2019
Portland, OR
As U.S. dry bean growers, producers, and dealers/traders continue to feel the impact of ongoing global trade tensions, we are also beginning to see how new funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is helping expand our opportunities to trade in new markets and market segments. On July 19, USDA announced the second tranche of Trade Mitigation funding under the Agricultural Trade Promotion Program (ATP). Together with an initial allocation of $1.4 million, USDBC has now received a second tranche of funding of $615,000. “A total ATP allocation of over $2 million effectively doubles our export promotion budget and opens a world of new opportunities to help our industry stay productive and competitive during this challenging time,” emphasized Executive Director Rebecca Bratter.
With support from the ATP program, USDBC has already launched new US dry bean
promotion programs in Brazil, Turkey, Central America, and throughout Southeast Asia. This is in addition to ongoing global programs funded through the USDBC/USDA Foreign Agricultural Service public/private partnership agreement. USDBC President Deon Maasjo, of Kelley Bean Company in Oakes, North Dakota noted, “with this additional support from USDA, we are ramping up new and expanded global activities very quickly with the intention of keeping our global exports stable and growing while we continue to work on important policy initiatives that will focus on the resolution of ongoing trade disputes.”
USDBC expects to continue to expand its global presence and outreach in the coming years and is planning a number of first time industry wide events to connect global buyers and US sellers. We remain optimistic that this new funding together with additional support through the Market Facilitation Program and Food Purchase and Distribution, will help our industry remain competitive. It has been a challenging year for the US agricultural sector and for the US dry bean industry. We appreciate all of the support we have received from USDA and plan to continue to work with the administration to reestablish our prior trade
flows as well.
For more information please contact the US Dry Bean Council at info@.