Dec 18, 2020
ARLINGTON, VA -- USA Rice held its annual International Promotion Planning Conference (IPPC) earlier this week to develop a budget proposal for 2021 international marketing programs. For 2021, USA Rice received $4.88 million in funds from the Market Access Program (MAP) and Foreign Market Development program (FMD) to promote the sales and consumption of U.S. rice abroad. Additionally, there are $3.5 million in Agricultural Trade Promotion (ATP) funds that can be applied in 2021-2023.
Leadership from USA Rice's International Promotion committee and the USA Rice Council heard updates from USA Rice staff and the U.S. Rice Producers Association (USRPA) about 2020 activities and plans for the upcoming year.
"As demonstrated by the high level of industry contributions and the level of engagement from USA Rice members, it's clear that the rice industry is vested in the success of these international programs," said Corey Pickelsimer, senior director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Service's Cooperator Programs Division. "We were pleased to be invited to this virtual conference and we stand ready to support our partners in promoting the sales of U.S. products overseas."
Attendees heard trade and promotion updates on two dozen countries where USA Rice has been active.
"I always look forward to this meeting where we get a deep dive into our promotions and learn more about the measurements of success for whether activities are effective," said Steve Vargas, vice chair of the USA Rice International Promotion Committee. "The ATP funds in particular are meant to show measurable sales increases and it was great to hear of our successes in Turkey, West Bank, and Singapore, among others."
The proposed budget will be presented to the USA Rice International Promotion Committee next month for final approval.