Technical Assistance for Specialty Crops “TASC”

AFA recommends increasing funding of the program titled “Technical Assistance for Specialty Crops” (TASC) in order to expand export opportunities for agricultural producers of fiber-rich food crops.

Technical Assistance for Specialty Crops (TASC) (§3201e) provides funding to eligible U.S. organizations for projects that address existing and potential sanitary, phytosanitary, and technical barriers that prohibit or threaten the export of U.S. specialty crops. Eligible crops include all cultivated plants and their products produced in the United States except wheat, feed grains, oilseeds, cotton, rice, peanuts, sugar, tobacco, and branded products.

TASC annual allocations through FY2023 are set at $9 million, and P.L. 115-334 provisions allow for projects to extend beyond a five-year period.

https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IF/IF11223

Title 3 Recommendations from AFA

1. Increase TASC annual funding.

2. Ensure that American fruit & veg producers enjoy as much federal trade support as the wider agriculture community.

Agriculture Fairness Alliance