USDA, USTR deliver over $26.7b in market access for U.S. agriculture

Agencies help U.S. ag reach new markets, strengthen existing relationships.

October 1, 2024

3 Min Read
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The Biden administration has secured over $26.7 billion in agricultural market access across the globe for America’s farmers, ranchers, fishers, and food manufacturers, according to the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

During the past four years, United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack have worked to ensure American agriculture can reach global markets and customers around the world.

“Providing more opportunity and security for domestic agricultural producers is a top priority for this administration,” Ambassador Tai said. “Secretary Vilsack and I believe that farmers and producers of all sizes can use international trade to reach new customers and support their families and their communities. Under President Biden and Vice President Harris’s leadership, we are delivering for our agricultural stakeholders, opening up new markets, and strengthening our trading partnerships.”

Secretary Vilsack said USDA has worked to create more, new, and better markets for U.S. producers and agribusinesses through new programs like the Regional Agricultural Promotion Program and Specialty Crops Competitiveness Initiative that expand and diversify the U.S. export customer base, broaden the types of products sold overseas, and make it easier for more producers to take advantage of the markets.

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He added, “USDA will continue to work hand in hand with USTR to promote American exports across the globe, remove unfair barriers to trade, and strengthen trade relationships with our global partners.”

U.S. food and agricultural exports are a critical driver of economic progress across the United States and have direct benefits for U.S. agriculture. Exports support more than one million jobs and generate nearly $200 billion in additional economic activity each year in rural communities and beyond. Steady and sustained overseas sales provide a critical source of revenue for American agricultural producer and agribusinesses. About 20% of all U.S. agricultural production is exported around the world, providing a significant share of producers’ cash receipts.

During Biden’s term, USDA has launched the $1.2 billion Regional Agricultural Promotion Program (RAPP) to open new markets and strengthen existing ones for U.S. agricultural and food producers and exporters. Funded through a $65 million set aside from RAPP, USDA also launched the Assisting Specialty Crop Exports (ASCE) initiative to support projects that advance U.S. specialty crop exports by expanding domestic understanding of foreign food safety systems and foreign understanding of U.S. food safety systems. The initiative will also collect information needed for export certification, and packaging to meet other countries' new requirements. As the U.S. continues to diversify where it exports, what it exports, and who exports in global markets, initiatives like RAPP and ASCE are pivotal.

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Over the past four years, USDA said “significant wins” for U.S. agricultural producers have occurred by lowering tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade. Achievements include:

  • Lower tariffs in India for 10 agricultural commodities: apples, frozen duck, frozen chicken, pecans, blueberries, cranberries, chickpeas, lentils, almonds, and walnuts;

  • The ability to ship fresh potatoes to Mexico beyond a 26-kilometer zone along the U.S.-Mexico border after seeking access beyond the border zone since 2003;

  • A new biofuel policy in Japan that allows the United States to compete for up to 100% of Japan’s on-road ethanol market; and

  • A new agreement revising the beef safeguard mechanism under the U.S.-Japan Trade Agreement, allowing U.S. beef exporters to more reliably meet Japan’s growing demand for high-quality beef.

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According to USDA, these wins for U.S. agricultural producers helped deliver the four largest annual export values between 2021 and 2024, including a record-high of $196 billion in agricultural exports in 2022. 

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