Sixty-seven organizations received a total of $200 million in funding under FAS’s Market Access Program (MAP), which uses funds from USDA’s Commodity Credit Corporation to share the costs of overseas marketing and promotional activities with U.S. agricultural trade organizations, state regional groups, and cooperatives. Activities conducted with MAP funding include market research, consumer promotions for retail products, and seminars to educate overseas customers. Among the recipients was the National Renderers Association (NRA), which received $860,149 in MAP funding.
Under FAS’s Foreign Market Development (FMD) cooperative program, the NRA received $944,218 of the $39 million allocated to 56 U.S. trade organizations. Program activities under FMD focus on reducing market impediments, improving the processing capabilities of importers, modifying restrictive regulatory codes and standards in foreign markets, and identifying new markets or uses for U.S. products. The 50-year-old program has supported market development activities in more than 100 countries worldwide.
December 2006 Render