USDA Invests $8.3 Million to Address Trade Barriers and Expand Market Access for Specialty Crops

WASHINGTON, Sept. 23, 2025 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture today announced it is awarding $8.3 million in funding to help 11 U.S. recipients address trade barriers and expand international market access for U.S. specialty crops.

The funding is provided through USDA's Foreign Agricultural Service, which manages the Technical Assistance for Specialty Crops (TASC) program. TASC helps U.S. specialty crop producers combat trade barriers, as well as promote and sell their goods internationally.

"Our market development programs are bringing the bounty of American agriculture to people around the world, helping millions of hardworking American farmers, ranchers, and producers connect their safe, high-quality products with growing export markets," said Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Under Secretary Luke J. Lindberg. "Not only does TASC provide the tools they need to overcome technical obstacles, it also chips away at the nearly $50 billion Biden-era agricultural trade deficit which has held back rural America for far too long."

Through TASC and similar programs, USDA partners with non-profit U.S. agricultural trade associations, farmer cooperatives, non-profit state-regional trade groups, state agencies, and small businesses to expand market access and conduct overseas marketing and promotional activities on behalf of U.S. agricultural producers and processors.

The USDA market development programs return an estimated $24.50 for every dollar invested.

The TASC program makes $9 million available annually to fund projects that address sanitary, phytosanitary, and technical barriers that prohibit or threaten the export of U.S. specialty crops.

The full list of FY2025 recipients and details about the program is available at: https://www.fas.usda.gov/programs/technical-assistance-specialty-crops-tasc.