NCC this week joined the Coalition to Promote U.S. Agricultural Exports in letters to leaders of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees requesting full funding for the Market Access Program (MAP) and Foreign Market Development (FMD) program, which are cost-sharing programs to promote the exports of agricultural commodities.
“We ask you and your committee colleagues to maintain funding in fiscal year 2023 for essential export promotion and market development funds provided by the Agricultural Trade Promotion and Facilitation programs,” the letters said. “Specifically, we request at least $200 million for the Market Access Program (MAP) and $34.5 million for the Foreign Market Development (FMD) program. These modest investments, paired with full private-sector cost share, are invaluable as we race to reclaim global export markets shut off during the pandemic and diversify markets amid war and geopolitical unrest.”
“Containerized agricultural exports are saddled with higher U.S.-to-Asia shipping rates and reduced carrier service for key export routes to Southeast and East Asia, with containerized shipment volumes down more than 20 percent over the second half of 2021,” the letter continued. “In the last two years, container shipping costs have increased between 300-500 percent meaning lost export value, depending on the product, of 10-40 percent. Shipping cancellations and delays have cost over 20 percent in lost food and agricultural export sales.”
The funding amounts requested for the MAP and FMD programs are the same as levels funded in past years.
The USA Poultry and Egg Export Council receives funding from the MAP and FMD programs.
The coalition sent one letter to House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman Sanford Bishop (D, GA-2) and Ranking Member Andy Harris (R, MD-1) and a separate letter to Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee Chair Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Ranking Member John Hoeven (R-ND).
