U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue on Wednesday launched the second and final round of trade mitigation payments aimed at assisting farmers suffering from damage due to unjustified trade retaliation by foreign nations.
Producers of certain commodities will now be eligible to receive Market Facilitation Program (MFP) payments for the second half of their 2018 production. The payment rates were not changed from the first round announced in September when USDA initiated three programs to aid American agriculture in sustaining the short-term damages associated with the trade disputes and securing long-term, stable export markets.
“The President affirmed his support for American farmers and ranchers and made good on his promise, authorizing the second round of payments to be made in short order. While there have been positive movements on the trade front, American farmers are continuing to experience losses due to unjustified trade retaliation by foreign nations. This assistance will help with short-term cash flow issues as we move into the new year,” Secretary Perdue said in a press release.
In September, USDA initiated three programs to aid American agriculture in sustaining the short-term damages associated with the trade disputes and securing long-term, stable export markets.
USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) has been administering a Market Facilitation Program to provide the first payments to almond, corn, cotton, dairy, hog, sorghum, soybean, fresh sweet cherry and wheat producers since September for the first 50 percent of their 2018 production.
USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is administering a food purchase and distribution program to purchase up to $1.2 billion in commodities unfairly targeted by unjustified retaliation. USDA Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) is distributing these commodities through nutrition assistance programs, such as the Emergency Food Assistance Program and child nutrition programs.
Through the Foreign Agricultural Service’s (FAS) Agricultural Trade Promotion (ATP) program, $200 million is being made available to develop foreign markets for U.S. agricultural products. The program will help U.S. agricultural exporters identify and access new markets and help mitigate the adverse effects of other countries’ restrictions.
