ARLINGTON, VA – The U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) received $9.7 million in the second round of Regional Agricultural Promotion Program (RAPP) funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), adding to the $10 million granted in the first round of multi-year funding issued last May.
USDA launched RAPP in 2023 following a bipartisan request from the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry, recognizing the need for substantial additional investments to open and develop new export markets for U.S. food producers.
“Once again, we would like to thank Secretary Tom Vilsack, the FAS administrator and staff, and congressional leaders for their critical decision to make significant investments in developing international markets for America’s dairy farmers and processors,” said USDEC President and CEO Krysta Harden. “During a time of limited budgets and increased demands, this additional funding will enable us to expand on the work we’ve started with the first RAPP tranche and will enhance our abilities to strengthen U.S. dairy’s presence in existing and new markets.”
USDEC is using the funds from the first tranche for a variety of programs, from market intelligence and dairy landscape assessments in Africa and Latin America to ingredient training workshops in Central America to new market expansion activities in Taiwan.
RAPP funding enabled a USDEC delegation to visit Kenya this past summer to begin researching opportunities for U.S. dairy in that country and the broader Sub-Saharan region.
It also supported USDEC cheese marketing initiatives in Southeast Asia, facilitating cheese seminars in Indonesia and the Philippines that attracted over 240 purchasing decision-makers from 100 regional cheese-buying companies.
These are just a few examples of how RAPP funding is being used to diversify and expand markets for U.S. dairy products beyond traditional customers like Mexico and China. The new $9.7 million from the second round will not only create more opportunities for U.S. dairy exports, but it will also ultimately benefit populations around the world. Like the first tranche of RAPP funding, this second wave can be used over a five-year period.
“The benefits of the program are wide-ranging,” says Harden. “These are sound investments that will ensure U.S. dairy will thrive in the future. Furthermore, RAPP funding helps advance U.S. dairy’s key role in nourishing a growing global population. Trade is essential to deliver nourishment from regions that produce it to those that need it the most.”