Grant will help the industry expand its presence in high-growth regions and forge partnerships with importers, distributors and retailers worldwide
The US Highbush Blueberry Committee (USHBC) has welcomed the US$850,000 grant it has received from the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service’s America First Trade Promotion Program (AFTPP), initially announced last week.
AFTPP was established to strengthen the position of American agriculture in the global marketplace, and is a precursor to larger supplemental funding coming in fiscal year 2027 from the Working Families Tax Cuts.
The grant will be a primary catalyst for increasing its presence in high-growth regions, building on the success of recent missions to forge lasting partnerships with importers, distributors, retailers and the media, and promoting the benefits of US blueberries to consumers worldwide, USHBC outlined.
“This AFTPP funding is a strategic catalyst for the blueberry industry,” said USHBC president Kasey Cronquist.
”We’re ready to leverage these resources to scale our reach, accelerate demand and secure a dominant position for USA Blueberries in high-growth global markets.”
Created 25 years ago to grow the blueberry category, the USHBC exists to give more consumers in the US more reasons to buy more blueberries, expand demand for US blueberries in global markets and equip the industry for success.
It maintains a ”robust international market development programme” aimed at expanding global demand for US blueberries through targeted trade and consumer initiatives.
Priority markets include South Korea, Japan, India, Mexico, Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines.
”All activities are strategically designed to build awareness, drive preference and increase sales of US blueberry products across both fresh and processed categories,” USHBC added.
