The US Market Access Programme (MAP) could face cutbacks in funding after being named in a new proposal, drawn out by the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform, on ways to balance the budget in the country.
Run by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the MAP offers some US$200m in funding to fresh produce commodity groups to help boost exports.
However, the National Commission's new five-point plan, which includes spending caps, tax reform and saving through cuts in farm subsidies among other suggestions, could mean that figure is slashed, The Packer reported.
As part of a plan to save US$200bn in federal spending cuts, the Commission proposed a reduction in farm subsidies of US$3bn through the reduction of direct payments and other subsidies, Conservation Security Programme funding, and MAP funding.
'The MAP programme has always faced challenges from the budget cutters who don't understand the value of that programme,' Robert Guenther, senior vice-president of public policy for the United Fresh Produce Association, told The Packer. 'Unfortunately, people are uninformed about the value of what it offers.'
No comments yet