USA - ASMI awarded USD 4.5 million in USDA funding for international marketing

24.03.2025 353 views

The Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI) was awarded USD 4.5 million (EUR 4.2 million) in U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) funding to spend on its international marketing efforts.

The Juneau, Alaska, U.S.A.-based marketing group said the funding was awarded through the Market Access Program (MAP), a federal program that helps share the costs of marketing and promoting American products to overseas customers. MAP funding requires matching funds from partner organizations.

“The timing of the new federal funds is well-aligned with the Alaska seafood industry’s needs to combat numerous global economic pressures,” ASMI International Marketing Director Nicole Alba said in a statement. “While these funds will help ASMI grow our international efforts, they will also allow ASMI to direct the Alaska seafood industry contribution as well as state funds toward the U.S. market, where significant opportunity exists due to the Russian seafood ban.”

According to ASMI, the institute has received USD 17.5 million (EUR 16.2 million) to spend on international marketing in the current fiscal year. On average, the institute receives roughly USD 40 million (EUR 37 million) in annual funding to promote Alaska seafood to overseas markets.

“We look forward to this opportunity to help grow the Alaska Seafood brand and increase demand around the world,” Alba said. “The ASMI International team has done a tremendous job to secure additional federal funds at a time of incredible need for the Alaska seafood industry.”

 

Source - https://www.seafoodsource.com

25.08.2026

Avocado growers in New Zealand assess crop losses after -5°C frost

New Zealand avocado growers are assessing crop losses after temperatures fell to around -5°C on the nights of August 5 and 6. The frost affected orchards in several growing regions, including the Bay of Plenty, as the harvest was building.

25.08.2026

Insurtech Veltha builds AI claims adjuster for workers’ comp and crop insurance

Veltha, a Y Combinator S26 Insurtech startup, is building an AI claims adjuster for regulated insurance markets, starting with workers’ compensation and crop insurance.

25.08.2026

India - Kerala’s Onam festival marred by a weaker monsoon and subsequent crop loss

On August 16 this year, the first day of the ten-day harvest festival of Onam in Kerala, P. Vijayalakshmi made her way to a restaurant in Thiruvananthapuram. For the first time in her life, the 72-year-old has purchased a ready-to-eat “packet Onam sadhya” or Onam feast rather than preparing it herself.

25.08.2026

Drought takes heavy toll on Luxembourg harvests

Recent rainfall has not been enough to make up for the prolonged dry spell, with some farmers expecting significant losses this year.

25.08.2026

India - Govt takes its own sweet time: ‘Perfect storm’ of inaction & falling production makes sugar dear

Agricultural experts say the warning signs had been visible for years, with sugar production falling from 35.9 million tonnes in 2021-22 to 32 million tonnes in 2023-24.

25.08.2026

Australia - NIBA takes its agriculture forum to regional NSW as drought tightens

A one-day forum on farm risk lands in Orange on September 22, as drought conditions are forecast to continue across much of the Central West.

24.08.2026

Canada - Monette Farms restructuring update: Crop insurance dispute and U.S. land deal

Monette Farms is facing a previously unpublicized hurdle in its restructuring effort, as court documents show the Saskatchewan Crop Insurance Corporation (SCIC) seeking a payment of $1.9 million to maintain the large farm's 2026 crop insurance coverage in Saskatchewan.

24.08.2026

India - Sukhjinder Randhawa raises concerns over 73 lakh farmers leaving Crop Insurance Scheme, questions Centre

Senior Congress leader, Rajya Sabha MP and former Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa on Monday questioned the Centre’s agricultural policies, citing a reported decline in enrolment under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) and a sharp fall in cotton cultivation in Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.