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An update on issues that impact the US Dry Bean Industry
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July 6, 2015 Volume One, Issue 5
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| USDBC APPOINTED TO HIGH LEVEL TRADE COMMITTEES On June 29 U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and the U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman announced the appointment of USDBC Executive Director Rebecca Bratter and Agricultural Issues Chair Cindi Allen of Allen Farms and the Nebraska Bean Commission to the Agricultural Trade Advisory Committee (ATAC) and Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee (APAC) respectively. Bratter and Allen will serve four-year terms along with other committee members and will advise both the USTR and USDA on U.S. trade policy and priorities. According to Secretary Vilsack, committee members "are an invaluable asset as we work to enact trade agreements and trade policies that deliver the greatest economic benefit for U.S. agriculture and our nation as a whole." Secretary Vilsack also noted that the last six years have "been the strongest in history for U.S. agricultural exports." USDBC anticipates that this trend will continue and recognizes the importance of having industry experts serving on these high level committees to represent both general agricultural and dry bean industry specific concerns. The next years will continue to offer important new opportunities for U.S. agriculture with the recent passing of TPA or Fast Track authority and several critical new trade agreements under negotiation such as the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement. The U.S. dry bean industry will have a voice at the highest levels of policy authority to ensure that our concerns and priorities are part of future trade discussions. Link to the official announcement. |
USDBC showcases new social media presence with
Tweets, Facebook,
and Instagram
In addition to new updates to our facebook page, USDBC is now on twitter and Instagram.
Check our website for links to social media and our new blog or click the links below.
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USDBC TO PARTICIPATE IN "SABOR USA" CAMPAIGN IN COLOMBIA
Since the implementation of the U.S. - Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement in 2012, U.S. agricultural exports to Colombia have doubled to $2.4 billion. Colombia is currently the U.S.' 10th largest export market. USDBC has been active in Colombia and has a number of new promotional activities planned over the next year, including collaborating with the USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS)/Bogota and other US commodity groups on the "Sabor USA" or "Flavor USA" media campaign. Sabor USA will be implemented with Canal 13, a local Colombian TV Channel that focuses on "younger" audiences, and will include restaurant and retail promotion, social media, and a TV/internet cooking show with US ingredients. According to Michael Conlon, Agricultural Counselor, FAS/Bogota, "We selected Canal 13, in part, so younger Colombian viewers can develop a long lasting preference for U.S. food and U.S. food culture." |
| Canal 13's cooking show, Plan Chef, will dedicate this upcoming season exclusively to U.S. food culture. The purpose of the program will be to educate, entertain and inspire Colombians about American food. Each episode will feature recipes made with food represented by the different U.S. commodity groups active in Colombia, including USDBC. The first episode of this season of Plan Chef featured recipes that showcased U.S meat, dry beans, peanuts, wine and soybean oil. Once available we will provide a link to the program on the USDBC website. This is a great opportunity to collaborate with our partners at USDA/FAS to promote U.S. dry beans to Colombian consumers with a view to opening new export channels. FAS intends to expand SaborUSA to other Spanish speaking countries and USDBC will continue to support these efforts to gain greater exposure for US dry beans in the Americas. |
USDBC TO RAMP UP
INDIA MARKET DEVELOPMENT
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| New Partnership Opportunities on the Horizon. |
Anticipating a highly competitive global market in the next year, USDBC is turning its attention to under explored emerging markets and market segments. USDBC's grant from USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) is designed to support ongoing global market promotion but also to fund the analysis and cultivation of new and untapped markets.
Over the next year, USDBC will begin analysis of market opportunities in India, the largest market for all varieties of pulses. India is of particular interest for the potential market size and a pattern that shows growing demand that consistently outpaces production, leaving India in a pulse deficit of 5 to 6 million tons for all varieties. This pattern of negative supply is predicted to continue and grow along with population and economic expansion. This presents several opportunities for U.S. dry beans as India has shown interest in pinto, black eye, and white beans.
Over the next year, USDBC will be working closely with an on the ground industry expert and FAS/Delhi to determine specific supply and production patterns, consumer preferences, end uses, buyers, and market segments. While the next year will be focused primarily on analysis, USDBC is considering participation in at least one promotional event. We expect to have an initial market scoping report by August 2015 which will be shared with the industry and used as a blue print to develop follow on promotional activities
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USDBC TO ENGAGE INDUSTRY IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES
Throughout the year, USDBC will inform the industry of legislative action that directly impacts our global trade initiatives. When appropriate, we will also be asking you to reach out and contact your local Congressional representation to support critical priorities. Two current critical priorities requiring industry response are: continued full funding of the Market Access Program (MAP) and the Foreign Market Development (FMD) program and support for In-Kind Food Assistance programs in recent food aid reform efforts.
MAP and FMD are grants, administered through USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service that support a successful public/private partnership to promote global agricultural export development. USDBC member dues currently leverage around $1.3 million in funding from both programs to support our global market development activities. Despite the fact that these programs are codified in the Farm Bill, they come under fire every year in the appropriations process as some members of Congress mistakenly believe they are "corporate welfare." The reality is that as part of this public/private partnership, USDBC, along with all other grant recipients is required to contribute resources and match our grant funding. We also face a competitive disadvantage in that many other agricultural exporting nations receive significantly more market development support than we do. According to a letter from the U.S. Coalition to Promote Agricultural Exports, "the U.S. public spending on export market development is among the lowest relative to other nations." The appropriations process to fund MAP and FMD at $200 million and $34.5 million respectively, is still in process. If you are able, please reach out to your Congressional representatives and urge full funding of MAP and FMD.
USDBC has a long history of participation in the food assistance programs of U.S. government, providing much needed nutrition for vulnerable populations around the world. Recent proposals from both the Administration and Congress are seeking to fundamentally change the way the U.S. provides food assistance from the donation of commodities to the use of cash vouchers for the local purchase of food. These proposals are not new but have gained renewed traction this year. They have never been supported by the Agricultural community as they would eliminate the role of farmers and growers in food assistance, as cash is more vulnerable than food in an appropriations process, changing to cash would require re-opening the Farm Bill, and there are not enough controls nor hard evidence in place to prove that cash reaches more beneficiaries than in kind food donations, despite some recent claims. Please reach out to your Congressional representation in favor of in-kind food aid and against ongoing efforts to re-open the Farm Bill to put cash based food assistance in place.
If you need any assistance on talking points or back ground, please contact USDBC.
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Key upcoming events in the US and around the Globe
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July 17 & 18 USDBC Summer meeting, Boston MA July 19 - 21 US Dry Bean Convention, Boston MA August 2 - 8 Caribbean Trade Mission September 13 - 19 Reverse Trade Mission to US October 10 - 14 ANUGA, Cologne, Germany October 26 - 27 Americas Food & Beverage Show, Miami FL November 15 -21 Colombia Trade Mission January 26 - 28, 2015 USDBC Winter Meeting, Washington DC February 12 - 14, 2016 Mexican Bean Congress, Cancun, Mexico February 17 -20, 2016 India Pulse Conclave, Jaipur India |
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Rebecca Bratter,
Executive Director
US DRY BEAN Council 7928 East Drive, Suite 302 North Bay Village FL 33141 202.492.0522 |
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