ALEXANDRIA, VA, December 20, 2024 – The North American Renderers Association (NARA) is pleased to announce that the association has received a second round of funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) under its Regional Agricultural Promotion Program (RAPP). Yesterday NARA was awarded another $3 million in funding to conduct activities that encourage the development, maintenance, and expansion of export markets for rendered products from the United States. NARA previously received $3.3 million in the first round of RAPP funding in June 2024. The 2025 RAPP program will commence January 1, 2025.
NARA applauds USDA’s decision to again prioritize export market development assistance as this funding helps NARA’s international staff and contractors around the world conduct market assessments, market access, and trade promotion activities in Africa, Europe, Latin America, and Asia.. Additionally, the program prioritizes longer-term market development and capacity building activities in emerging markets in Africa. At least $600,000 of NARA’s $3 million RAPP 2025 award will be earmarked for market assessment and early-stage market development initiatives on the continent.
Unlike other USDA-funded international market development programs which rely on funding appropriated by Congress, RAPP is financed through the USDA-managed Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC).The program traces its origins to the Trump Administration’s 2018 Agricultural Trade Promotion (ATP) initiative, which utilized CCC funding to help U.S. agricultural exporters develop new markets and mitigate the adverse effects of other countries’ tariffs and other barriers to trade. Reinvented as RAPP last year, the program has already dispersed $600 million to U.S. agricultural groups to support U.S. exports.
Of the announcement, NARA’s SVP of International Programs, Dana Downing, said “USDA’s decision to allocate another $3 million in RAPP funding to NARA feels like a real vote of confidence for the work we’ve done over the years and the vision we’ve cast for the future. We look forward to working with our members to prioritize markets and activities that will generate new commercial opportunities and provide ongoing trade servicing to our customers.”
NARA’s President & CEO Kent Swisher said, “This second round of RAPP funding will allow NARA to continue innovating and expanding our educational outreach and trade servicing work. These funds help our association work with U.S. government officials to knock down trade barriers, advocate for food waste reduction and sustainable agricultural practices, and meet the changing needs of our customers worldwide.”
NARA continues to advocate for permanent, long-term investments to promote U.S. rendered products overseas.
