Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced today that the U.S. Department of Agriculture is providing $2.3 billion to help American producers maintain and develop markets for their commodities and use U.S. commodities to bolster international food aid.
Consistent with a bipartisan request from the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, USDA is utilizing funds from the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) to address challenges related to trade and food insecurity impacting U.S. farmers and the international community.
USDA will use $1.3 billion for the Regional Agricultural Promotion Program and support for specialty crop industries to diversify export markets, and $1 billion to help address global hunger.
Secretary Vilsack said, “The Commodity Credit Corporation and USDA’s market development and aid programs are critically important at this time, and with this additional support we can strengthen U.S agriculture’s presence in existing markets, open up new market opportunities, and build on our relationships and connections to ensure that high-quality American agriculture and food products reach where they are needed in the world.”
U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, and John Boozman (R-AR), Ranking Member, today applauded USDA’s announcement.
The lawmakers wrote, “Today’s announcement by Secretary Vilsack is welcome news, and we thank him for his timely response to our letter on this matter from September. While this funding is welcome, it does not replace the need for a Farm Bill. We look forward to continuing our work to deliver a strong, bipartisan Farm Bill that meets the needs of farmers and the American people.”
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