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Key competitors investing more in ag export promotion

A new study brings to light the importance of investing in foreign ag export promotion programs.

U.S. Grains Council (USGC) CEO Tom Sleight says the analysis conducted by Informa Economics shows key competitors like the European Union, Australia, and Brazil have taken significant steps to ramp up spending while the U.S. puts fewer dollars into export promotion efforts.

“What it indicates is that competition continues to increase every day.  And we’ve been sort of fighting this battle with a static level of engagement for quite some time now.”

The study revealed several competing countries outspend the United States in ag export promotion 4 to 1.

Sleight tells Brownfield decision-makers in Washington must address the issue, beginning with USDA’s Foreign Market Development (FMD) and Market Access Programs (MAP).

“The Farm Bill debate is getting serious now, and these programs (which are) two incredible success stories of a public-private partnership end (soon).  FMD ends on September 30th, 2018.  The other one ends on December 31st, 2018, unless they are reauthorized in the next Farm Bill.”

Sleight says a separate study on the MAP and FMD programs displayed a 28 to 1 return on investment for American agriculture as a whole.