Sep 24, 2025NPC nabs share of $8.3M to boost specialty crop trade
USDA is awarding $8.3 million in funding to help 11 U.S. recipients, including the National Potato Council, address trade barriers and expand international market access for U.S. specialty crops.
The funding is provided through USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), 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.
“That grant was expiring back in February,” NPC CEO Kam Quarles told Spudman. “The administration wanted to look at all of these grants that went out. They’ve restored the funding, which is great.”
NPC will use the $650,000 it was awarded to support ongoing efforts to bolster its presence in the Mexican market, which fully opened to U.S. potatoes in May 2022.
“We have a legal and regulatory team down in Mexico,” Quarles said. “Since our battles with Mexico have really been in the court system, we want to be sure that we — at least for the near term — have those resources available so that if any type of legal stunt is repeated, like they have done in the past, we’ve got people on top of that and are coordinating with the U.S. government to make sure that the market isn’t ultimately closed or impaired.”
For the 12-month period from October 2023 to September 2024, U.S. fresh potato sales to Mexico totaled $135 million, or about 41% of the value of total U.S. fresh potato exports for that period, according to USDA.
Through TASC and similar programs, USDA partners with nonprofit U.S. agricultural trade associations, farmer cooperatives, nonprofit 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.
“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,” Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Under Secretary Luke J. Lindberg said in a news release.
The USDA market development programs return an estimated $24.50 for every dollar invested, according to the department.
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. Eligible activities include seminars and workshops, study tours, field surveys, pest and disease research and pre-clearance programs. Eligible crops include all cultivated plants and their products produced in the U.S. except wheat, feed grains, oilseeds, cotton, rice, peanuts, sugar, and tobacco.
Awards are for a maximum of $500,000 per year and for projects of up to five years.
NPC thanked FAS and USDA officials in a post on X.
“Thanks to TASC, we’re at $134.9 million annual sales and growing,” NPC said.
Other 2025 recipients include the California Almond Board, the California Department of Food and Agriculture and the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated with comments from NPC CEO Kam Quarles.
