U.S. Department of Agriculture Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Alexis M. Taylor announced today that USDA has awarded more than $25 million to support eight projects under the new Assisting Specialty Crop Exports (ASCE) initiative.

USDA launched ASCE in January 2024 as part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to create more, new and better markets for U.S. producers and agribusinesses both at home and abroad. The innovative partnership between USDA and the specialty crops sector focuses on projects to address the non-tariff trade barriers that hinder U.S. exports of fruits and vegetables, tree nuts, horticultural crops and related products.

“Specialty crop exporters face myriad import requirements in every foreign market they enter, yet they often don’t have the economies of scale to develop the required certifications or negotiate favorable terms. ASCE will help smaller exporters by directly addressing barriers and supporting industry’s efforts to obtain needed certifications,” Taylor said. “We’re excited to bring on new partners who will provide solutions and allow U.S. specialty crop producers to expand international markets for their world-class products.”

U.S. exports of specialty crops totaled $25.8 billion last year, increasing the bottom line for producers nationwide and driving economic development in their local communities and beyond.

The selected partners and projects for the first round of ASCE funding are as follows:

• Clemson University and the Foundation for Fresh Produce, which was founded by the International Fresh Produce Association, will each receive $5 million to establish ASCE Sustainable Packaging Innovation Labs. The research and projects implemented by these labs will help address one of the top concerns USDA hears from the U.S. specialty crop industry: that packaging and labeling requirements in export markets are changing and exporters don’t yet have the sustainable packaging options to meet those new rules.

• The Minor Use Foundation will receive $2 million to develop supporting data and submit applications for establishment of additional maximum residue limits for specialty crops under the Codex Alimentarius Commission, and to build the global alliances and technical capacity needed for future Codex MRL submissions. Codex MRLs are crucial to facilitate trade, but often major commodity crops are prioritized over specialty crops, so this project will help fill the gap. The Minor Use Foundation will partner with the IR-4 Project, which was established by USDA and land-grant universities in 1963, to conduct research to ensure that specialty crops farmers have access to crop protection products to effectively and safely manage pests.

• CABI will lead two initiatives to align pesticide regulatory systems and harmonize MRLs to make accessing new export markets more transparent and predictable for U.S. producers. A $4-million project will focus on Southeast Asia and a $3-million project will focus on regional collaboration in Africa.

• The Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture was selected to lead a $3-million project in Latin America and the Caribbean for regional alignment of pesticide regulatory systems and science-based, trade-facilitative MRLs.

• Ag Aligned Global, LLC will lead a $3-million project focused on import MRLs in Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation member economies, supporting trade with key export markets for U.S. specialty crops. The recipient will coordinate with the Minor Crop Farmer Alliance, which represents U.S. specialty crop producer organizations, and with Bryant Christie, Inc. to ensure that that U.S. producers’ input is central to the development of ASCE projects focused on MRLs.

• Bryant Christie, Inc. was selected to develop MRL quick reference sheets for 60 specialty crops in key export markets, helping make the complex requirements more easily understandable for U.S. producers.