MILWAUKIE, OREGON – USDA has announced that Pear Bureau Northwest (PBNW) BB #:162426 has been awarded $4.025 million under the new Regional Agriculture Promotion Program (RAPP), to build demand for USA Pears in high-potential markets around the globe.
“We are extremely pleased with the generous allocation that the Pear Bureau received from the USDA’s new RAPP program,” said Kevin Moffitt, PBNW President and CEO. “The export team did a fantastic job on their grant application, and the funds will bolster our export programs which are so important to the fresh pear growers in Washington and Oregon.”
Jeff Correa, PBNW Director of International Marketing, added, “PBNW will work in conjunction with the Export Promotion Committee to determine to best usage of the funds to maximize the benefit for the fresh pear industry in the Pacific Northwest.”
“We will look to conduct some important global activities to improve our social media outreach, develop more video and photo content that can be used by all stakeholders in all markets, and look to fund the promotional activities in the eligible export markets under the RAPP program for the next 2-5 seasons,” he added.
PBNW will also look to explore new market opportunities in the Philippines and the Caribbean region, and look to re-enter the markets of Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand with the RAPP funds. Finally, “The addition of RAPP funds to the export promotion budget will allow PBNW to maximize the Market Access Funds (MAP) towards the industry’s top two export markets, Mexico and Canada, which are ineligible under the first tranche of RAPP funds.”
“We’re also grateful to USDA Secretary Vilsack and the Foreign Agricultural Service leadership of FAS Administrator Daniel Whitley, Deputy Administrator Mark Slupek, Senior Director Curt Alt and Senior Director Chris Jacquette for their tireless work to move this grant from a concept to actuality,” Correa concluded.
ABOUT PEAR BUREAU NORTHWEST
Pear Bureau Northwest is a non-profit marketing organization established in 1931 to promote the fresh pears grown in Washington and Oregon, home to 84% of the US commercial fresh pear crop. The Bureau represents over 700 grower families and partners with outlets throughout the world in an effort to increase overall success with the pear category. The organization provides marketing and merchandising expertise that is customized specifically for each retail organization, using its pear consumer research findings as well as individual store analysis using an in-house data system that measures pear category performance nationwide and third-party research to show retailers how they perform versus their competition. Retailers who are interested in partnering with Pear Bureau Northwest should contact them at info@usapears.com or 1 (800) 547-4610, as well as visit the retail trade site, Trade.USAPears.org, or consumer site, USAPears.org.
Jim Morris, Marketing Communications Manager
Pear Bureau Northwest
(503) 652-9720
jmorris@usapears.com
