Last week in Tri-Cities, Washington, the USHBC Board of Directors approved the industry’s largest export promotion budget to date, highlighting the organization’s commitment to expanding the global market for U.S. highbush blueberries.
Increasing exports of fresh, frozen and further processed blueberries is a primary goal of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council’s (USHBC) strategic plan, and the USHBC Export Subcommittee allocates funding each year to drive consumer demand and facilitate market access around the world. The majority of the Export Subcommittee’s annual budget is funded by USDA Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) Trade Programs.
In 2020, USHBC will use USDA FAS Market Access Program (MAP) and Agricultural Trade Promotion (ATP) funding to conduct targeted promotions (including retail and food service partnerships, and media campaigns) in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. In Southeast Asia, where blueberry consumption is rapidly growing, USHBC aims to increase the U.S. market share, especially in countries like the Philippines and Vietnam where fresh market access is new or pending.
In addition to promotion, USHBC will fund research in support of NABC’s effort to address trade barriers facing U.S. exporters, including sanitary and phytosanitary issues and maximum residue limits. Specifically, USHBC received Technical Assistance for Specialty Crops (TASC) funding to research and evaluate kill steps for blueberry maggot and spotted winged drosophila (SWD), which are pests of concern to Australia and New Zealand, among others. The TASC program will also fund USHBC’s efforts to establish permanent maximum residue levels (MRL) in South Korea prior to Jan. 1, 2022.
Lastly, USHBC will use Emerging Markets Program (EMP) and Quality Samples Program (QSP) funding to identify and develop new opportunities for frozen, dried and further processed blueberries in emerging export markets like Vietnam, Myanmar and South Africa.
Please visit ushbc.org/export and the USHBC Export Database for information regarding 2018 blueberry export activity. 2019 export information will be coming shortly.
USHBC Announces New Data, Analysis in Export Database
Are you looking for export/import data on your target markets in Asia? Do you want to track the latest updates on trade negotiations with China, Japan or the European Union? Do you need easy access to in-country experts?
The USHBC Export Database offers blueberry market data for 28 countries and regions around the world. Data is updated annually, and trade issues are monitored and updated as changes occur. Last week at the NABC/USHBC Fall Meeting in Tri-Cities, Washington, the USHBC Export Subcommittee announced the availability of new data and analysis.
Topics include: trade issues (including sanitary and phytosanitary barriers to trade, tariffs and maximum residue levels and testing practices), competition and export data, status of free trade agreements, USHBC promotional programming, product distribution characteristics and consumer preferences. The export database also provides contact information for U.S. and foreign government officials, as well as USHBC in-country representatives.