USW Commends USDA for Food for Peace Awards, Highlighting Wheat’s Role in Global Development 

U.S. Wheat Associates (USW) commends the Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for the announcement of 417,000 metric tons of commodity awards through the agency’s Food for Progress and McGovern-Dole Food for Education programs. The awards include 204,000 metric tons (7.5 million bushels) of U.S. wheat destined for the African continent.   “We are beyond pleased to see today’s announcement from USDA,” said Dalton Henry, USW vice president of policy and communications. “America’s wheat farmers grow the most reliable supply of high-quality wheat in the world. Programs like Food for Progress offer an opportunity to introduce our product into markets, provide assistance to those in need and support USW’s customers of tomorrow.”   Under the Food for Progress program, donations of wheat are monetized, which refers to the sale of in-kind donations of U.S. food commodities in recipient countries for local currency. Through monetization, the United States provides food commodities, like wheat, to a cooperating sponsor, a recipient government or a non-governmental organization. The recipient then can sell that commodity to local processors or traders and the proceeds can be used for developmental projects.   Wheat is often the largest commodity used in Food for Progress programs, leading to successful outcomes for U.S. farmers. This summer, commercial sales of U.S. wheat to Colombia following a successful monetization project were a clear demonstration of the effectiveness of the program in its dual aims of providing humanitarian assistance and expanding market access for U.S. producers.   https://uswheat.org/wheatletter/commercial-wheat-cargoes-land-in-colombia-following-successful-food-for-progress-monetization-project/   The awards are the direct result of the leadership of Secretary Rollins and Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs Luke Lindberg. Today’s announcement, however, has significance beyond the individual projects awarded, highlighting the effectiveness of the USDA’s successful administration of food assistance programs.  “While the U.S. Department of State has yet to make a single wheat award under the food aid programs it took charge of eight months ago, USDA leadership and staff worked through regular order to announce program opportunities, solicit proposals, review applications and make awards before the end of the fiscal year,” Henry said. “Meanwhile, the State Department will likely leave money in the bank, refugee camps on severely reduced rations and U.S. farmers with increasing stocks.”   “This discrepancy is exactly why American farmers want the agency they trust to administer the full suite of in-kind international food assistance programs. With Secretary Rollins at the helm, we believe we would see even more U.S. commodities purchased in serving the diplomatic, humanitarian and market development goals of these programs.”