US grants $500,000 to back biofertilizer exports to Vietnam

On August 4 (local time), the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a $500,000 grant to help U.S. biofertilizer exporters expand into the Vietnamese market.

The funding is part of USDA's Technical Assistance for Specialty Crops program and will support a project titled 'Increasing Market Opportunities in Vietnam for U.S. Innovative Biofertilizer Exporters.'

The grant will be awarded through two cooperative agreements, each up to $250,000, with projects to be carried out over a two-year period.

Eligible applicants include U.S. state cooperative institutions, universities and colleges. U.S. exporters and Vietnamese organizations may participate as in-country implementation partners but are not eligible to receive the grants directly.

The initiative is part of Fertilize Right Vietnam, a USDA/FAS program launched in 2023. 

In Vietnam, the program is implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment and an international agricultural research organization.

Fertilize Right Vietnam aims to improve fertilizer use efficiency, enhance fertilizer performance, and promote alternatives to conventional chemical fertilizers. 

The program follows the '4R Nutrient Stewardship' principles: the right fertilizer source, the right application rate, the right timing, and the right placement.

The selected recipient will conduct comparative research in the U.S. and Vietnam to evaluate whether U.S.-made biofertilizers, including liquid fish fertilizer, can reduce nitrogen leaching while maintaining or increasing crop yields.

The project will also work with Vietnamese partners to provide input on national fertilizer management guidelines, with a focus on alternatives to conventional chemical fertilizers, including enhanced efficiency fertilizers using microbial coatings, and biofertilizers.

Another component of the program will bring U.S. organic rice farmers to Vietnam to share their experience using biofertilizers to reduce nitrogen losses while maintaining crop productivity.

USDA also requires the grant recipient to assess whether Vietnam increases imports of at least three U.S.-made biofertilizer or fertilizer-efficiency products, which will serve as one of the program's performance indicators.

As of August 5, USDA had announced the funding opportunity but had not yet selected a recipient or disbursed funds. 

The agency will accept questions from applicants through August 26 and applications through September 2.