CALIFORNIA – Several Central Valley-based agricultural organizations, which include the Almond Board of California and the California Table Grape Export Association, are set to receive a portion of $8.3 million in federal funding.
As part of a larger national push to expand export opportunities for American-grown specialty crops, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced this week that more than $8 million will be distributed to 11 organizations, with several key recipients located in California’s agriculture-rich Central Valley.
“Our market development programs are bringing the bounty of American agriculture to people around the world, helping millions of hardworking American farmers, ranchers, and producers connect their safe, high-quality products with growing export markets,” said Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Under Secretary Luke J. Lindberg via statement. “Not only does TASC provide the tools they need to overcome technical obstacles, it also chips away at the nearly $50 billion Biden-era agricultural trade deficit which has held back rural America for far too long.”
The Almond Board of California, California Table Grape Export Association, and the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) are among the local and state groups that have been selected for funding through the USDA’s technical assistance for specialty crops program.
Also included are the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council and the Western Growers Foundation. Both of these organizations have strong ties to California’s diverse agricultural economy.
The funding given will directly support projects that will address sanitary, technical and phytosanitary trade barriers which are often the biggest hurdles for California farmers who are looking to grow their global market presence, according to the USDA.
