OTA wins nearly $850,000 in MAP funds

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Market Access Program has awarded $847,000 in export promotion funding for 2018 to the Organic Trade Association.

OTA has been an official cooperator in USDA’s Market Access Program for more than 15 years now, investing in the promotion of U.S. organic agricultural products in global markets and connecting buyers and sellers to create new organic customers around the world.

“Our export promotion programs work,” Monique Marez, OTA’s director of international trade, said in a news release. “In all of the countries where we do activity, U.S. organic exports to those regions have grown. The organic industry can’t happen without trade, and we are looking forward to continuing our efforts in 2018 to help expand the organic market.”

In 2017, OTA’s export promotion activities have expanded to four continents: South and North America, Europe and Asia, and to five first-time markets: Mexico, Singapore, Malaysia, Finland and Hong Kong, according to the release.

The association has partnered with major retailers in Korea, Japan, Canada and the United Arab Emirates to promote U.S. organic products already in those countries.

“There are huge opportunities -- and challenges -- for the U.S. organic sector throughout the world, and we’re helping the industry to take advantage of those opportunities in untapped markets and to meet the challenges created by the growing global appetite for organic,” Laura Batcha, OTA CEO and executive director, said in the release.

Want to know more about organic produce? Register for The Packer’s inaugural Global Organic Produce Expo, Jan. 25-27, in Hollywood, Fla.