USDA Awards $3 Million to the American Pecan Council (APC) in Additional Regional Agricultural Promotions Program (RAPP) Grants

Funding will help grow the global reach of American Pecans and strengthen APC’s presence in key markets abroad

Fort Worth, TX – The American Pecan Council (APC) was awarded an additional $3 million in USDA grant funding to bring American Pecans to more consumers in international markets. The grant is part of the Regional Agricultural Promotion Program (RAPP), which helps U.S. agriculture work to stay competitive in today’s global trading environment.

“This funding will significantly boost our ability to make American Pecans an essential food for consumers across the globe, particularly in key markets like India and Europe,” said Anne Warden, CEO of APC. “We believe this sizable increase in funding is due to the marketing impact APC has had to date and the growing potential for U.S. pecans to fuel U.S. agriculture exports.”

Increasing the incremental volume of U.S. pecans exported to a wider range of global markets is a core part of APC’s “Unified Pecans Promotion Plan.” Through previous industry and federal grant funding, APC has increased American Pecans’ presence in key markets like India, the U.K., Germany and China. In fact, over the past year, APC:

• Focused on cracking open the Indian market by hosting the first-ever reverse trade mission, introducing prominent Indian importers to the American pecan industry. APC also maintained a presence in India through a USDA Agricultural trade mission, hospitality events, and through retail and e-commerce promotions and domestic trade missions hosted by state pecan organizations.

• Centered U.K. in-store promotions around snacking, which saw a 138% increase in retail activity, reaching over 4,000 stores. E-commerce initiatives saw strong returns with U.K.’s largest retailers like Tesco and Sainsbury’s.

• Delivered an increase of 44% in exposure to German consumers compared to other tree nuts, and an 11% growth in purchase intent of pecans compared to the previous year.

• Released a new study of the pecan market in China, with findings that will guide APC’s marketing approach moving forward.

With the additional $3M, APC will be able to expand these current global marketing efforts over the next 3-5 years and consider expanding into new and emerging markets. In addition, this month APC was also awarded its first ever Quality Samples Program grants – another USDA program – to deliver samples of pecans into India.

If you have any questions about getting involved in exports or international marketing initiatives, please reach out to the American Pecan Council, your local grower association and/or your state departments of agriculture who are committed to helping grow the U.S. pecan industry at home and abroad.

About the American Pecan Council

The American Pecan Council (APC) is a group of passionate pecan growers and shellers whose life work is dedicated to growing, harvesting and processing America’s native nut. Founded in 2016 through a Federal Marketing Order, the APC’s mission is to promote the many benefits of the American Pecan and help tell the story of this truly unique nut. With oversight by the USDA, APC aims to build consumer demand, develop markets and establish industry standards. APC is based in Fort Worth, Texas, and funded by pecan handlers in 15 pecan-producing states: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Texas.