Benson, North Carolina – Johnny Barnes, President of the American Sweet Potato Marketing Institute (ASPMI), announced that ASPMI is the recipient of USDA/FAS Market Access Funds in the amount of $200,000 for promotion of US sweet potatoes in Western Europe. Promotional activities will be conducted during the 2014/15 marketing year which begins July 1st, 2014 and ends July 30th, 2015. ASPMI, founded in 2013, is now a recognized partner/cooperator with the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) and, as such, represents the interests of the US sweet potato industry in matters relating to international trade.
The promotional funds will be utilized for the generic promotion of US sweet potatoes both in fresh and processed form in Western Europe. Targeted customers include consumers, retailers, foodservice establishments and food manufacturers. The Phaff Export Marketing Agency, located in the Netherlands has been selected to conduct the promotional activities on behalf of ASPMI. The funds available from FAS may only be utilized for promotional activities; overhead for management of the program comes from industry contributions. Companies interested in participating in the ASPMI marketing process are encouraged to contact ASPMI and join the organization.
ASPMI staff are now in the process of completing an application for 2015/16 Market Access funding, and expect to add additional countries and regions to the promotional plan, including Canada and Mexico. “The Market Access Program allows us as an industry to pursue continual funding for promotional programs in key export markets,” stated Mr. Barnes, adding “without such funding our promotional efforts would be limited to individual companies or state specific activities that are not coordinated and prove inefficient.”
Source: American Sweet Potato Marketing Institute (ASPMI)
