Merced, CA (February 12, 2026) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) announced February 11 that more than $212 million will be awarded nationwide through the Market Access Program (MAP) and the Foreign Market Development Program (FMD) to support export expansion efforts for U.S. agricultural products. The funding is intended to assist commodity groups in promoting American-grown goods in overseas markets through trade promotion, marketing campaigns, and market development activities.
In response to the announcement, American Pistachio Growers (APG) issued a statement emphasizing the importance of the federal funding to the pistachio industry.
“Without these funds, our mission to drive demand for American pistachios would be greatly reduced,” said Scott Fryer, APG Vice President, Global Marketing. “It is because of these funds that we feel like our marketing efforts have been amplified, especially in countries like India. We are excited to continue the efforts to drive increased demand by growing in our existing markets, and expanding into new markets.”
The USDA programs do not provide direct payments to farmers but instead fund industry-led efforts to build and maintain international demand. For California’s Central Valley, including Merced County, where pistachios are a significant agricultural crop, export market access plays a key role in supporting farm revenue and the broader agricultural economy.
A link to the USDA news release can be found here:
https://www.fas.usda.gov/newsroom/announcing-2026-awardees-map-and-fmd
