After a robust year of trade events held largely behind computer screens, the Organic Trade Association (OTA) is gearing up for a busy 2022 of in-person events and opportunities to show off U.S. organic products abroad. As the nation’s only organic-focused trade association, OTA has been the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) go-to partner for promoting organic products internationally for nearly 20 years. This year, USDA awarded OTA with $906,379 in Market Access Program (MAP) funds to support the association’s international promotion efforts, the largest MAP award OTA has received to date.
“OTA is proud to continue to represent the face of U.S. organic abroad as a core partner of USDA’s Market Access Program,” says OTA Associate Director of International Trade Alexis Carey. “Just as venues are reopening their doors to in-person events, the global economy is reopening to more robust trade opportunities. There’s an overwhelming global demand for organic products, and OTA looks forward to helping connect U.S.-based producers with customers worldwide.”
According to tracking data from USDA, the value of U.S. organic exports nearly doubled between 2011 and 2019–increasing from just over $400 million in 2011 to nearly $700 million in 2019 thanks to increasing global interest in the benefits of organic. Canada and Mexico are the United States’ largest export partners, with Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, the EU and United Arab Emirates all making the top 10 list for U.S. organic exports.
Key promotional events for U.S. organic in 2022 include:
• Biofach in Nuremburg, Germany, February 15-18, 2022
• Food and Hotel Asia in Singapore, September 5-8, 2022
• SIAL in Paris, France, October 15-19, 2022
OTA said it will also host a wide range of consumer promotion projects across Asia and the Middle East, with events geared toward importers, distributors and consumers. The market promotion activities are open to the entire organic industry, including non-members.
For more information, visit www.ota.com.
