Stand Up for MAP Funding

As previously reported - Oklahoma Senator Tom Coburn has introduced an amendment to the Farm Bill that would reduce Market Access Program funding by 40-million dollars annually. It would also put restrictions on the use of program funds. The American Soybean Association says Senate Agriculture Committee staff has concerns because it is unclear how many Senators will vote in favor of the amendment. That's why ASA is asking its members and supporters to contact their Senators to urge them to oppose the amendment - SA 2289. The group says callers can offer several reasons for maintaining MAP funding. ASA points out that U.S. agricultural exports have increased by more than 400-percent since the MAP program was created in 1985. During the period between 2002 and 2009 - IHS Global Insight showed that the increase in market development investment by government and industry considerably increased U.S. export market share and increased the annual value of U.S. agricultural exports by 6.1-billion dollars. Because every billion dollars in U.S. ag exports supports approximately 84-hundred American jobs - ASA says MAP is a job protector.

The American Soybean Association says it's also important to note that foreign competitors have devoted considerable resources on various market development activities to promote their exports of ag products. ASA says eliminating or reducing MAP funding in the face of continued subsidized foreign competition would put America's farmers and workers at a substantial competitive disadvantage.

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