Login

Forgot Password?
Sign Up

Your browser is not supported, please use a recommended browser here.

X

Current Browser Not Supported

Internet Explorer and Edge are not recommended.

To get the most out of SUSTA's website, we recommend that you use the latest version of Chrome, Firefox or Safari for the best experience.

Chrome

Firefox

Safari

Some features of this site are not compatible with older versions of Internet Explorer. Upgrade your browser to better experience this site. Some features of this site are not compatible with older versions of iOS. Update your operating system to better experience this site. Some features of this site are not compatible with the Android stock browser. Upgrade to Google Chrome to better experience this site. X
Menu

Study: Public-Private Partnerships Build Global Markets for U.S. Farm Goods, Adding $9.6 Billion In Export Value Annually

5-18-2022

The following press release was issued by the U.S. Agricultural Export Development Council regarding the publication of a study on the Market Access Program, which is the program that SUSTA administers.

Arlington, VA – Programs to help U.S. farmers build markets overseas boosted agricultural exports by an average of $9.6 billion annually from 1977 to 2019, representing 13.7 percent of total agricultural export value, and returning $24.50 in additional net export revenue for every dollar spent on export promotion.

Those are the key conclusions from a study commissioned by the U.S. Grains Council on behalf of members of the U.S. Agricultural Export Development Council to evaluate USDA’s Market Access Program (MAP) and Foreign Market Development (FMD) program. The study was conducted by IHS Markit in cooperation with Dr. Gary Williams and Dr. Oral Capps at Texas A&M University, both experts on evaluating the economic performance of trade promotion programs.

“We have known for quite some time that the export programs in which we participate are highly effective at boosting agricultural exports and a huge benefit to our nation’s economy and the importing nations industries and consumers,” noted Jim Sutter, Board Chair of the U.S. Agricultural Export Development Council.

The MAP and FMD programs are authorized by the Farm Bill and administered by USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service. The programs form part of the public-private partnerships that offer competitive cost-share grants for foreign market development activities to USAEDC members. The study reported that these market development programs effectively leveraged industry contributions, averaging between 70-77 percent of expenditures from 2013-2019, valued at an estimated annual average of $567 million.

The study found that from 2002 to 2019, foreign market development investment through the MAP and FMD programs:

  • Increased farm cash receipts by $12.2 billion (3.4 percent)
  • Contributed $45 billion annually in economic output and $22.3 billion annually in gross domestic product
  • Created an estimated 225,800 jobs across the entire economy

“The organizations that comprise our membership use these export programs to great effect,” said Lorena Alfaro, Executive Director of USAEDC. “The export programs not only boost the entire agricultural sector, but they also have a multiplier effect throughout the entire U.S. economy, supporting jobs and income in a range of industries.”

“Not only do we bring the quality, reliability, and sustainability of U.S. food and ag exports to the world marketplace, but we are also supporting our hardworking farmers and so many other industries at home with these increased jobs and income,” noted Sutter. “It is rewarding to see the returns of these programs outlined in a way that shows their impact on the U.S. economy as a whole.”

The full study is available here.

More about the MAP, FMD and ATP programs are available at:

www.fas.usda.gov/programs/market-access-program-map

www.fas.usda.gov/programs/foreign-market-development-program-fmd

###

USAEDC’s members are U.S. commodity trade associations, farmer cooperatives, and state regional trade groups that represent the export promotion interests of growers and processors of virtually all U.S. agricultural products. Members collaborate closely with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) to increase worldwide knowledge, preference, and demand for U.S. agricultural exports.