USDA offers $500,000 to expand U.S. biofertilizer exports to Vietnam

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has opened applications for $500,000 in technical assistance funding to support the expansion of U.S.-manufactured biofertilizers and fertilizer enhancement products in Vietnam. Universities, agricultural trade associations and nonprofit organizations are eligible to apply through the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service.

The project will evaluate whether products, including liquid fish fertilizer, can maintain crop yields while reducing nitrogen leaching in the U.S. and Vietnam. The selected organization will also provide technical input to Vietnam’s fertilizer management guidelines, with a focus on microbial coatings and other higher-efficiency alternatives to conventional synthetic fertilizers.

Planned activities include an outreach tour by U.S. organic rice farmers and monitoring Vietnamese imports of at least three U.S.-made biofertilizers or fertilizer enhancement products. Applications are due by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on September 2, 2026.