NPC Welcomes Benefits in COVID-19 Relief Bill
The US House of Representatives just voted the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, a USD2000bn bill with significant benefits to the U.S. potato supply chain. This comes a day after the Senate passed the bill by a 96-0 vote. The bill has been sent to President Trump for his expected signature, according to postregister.com.
National Potato Council (NPC) President Britt Raybould said: “We appreciate the commitment of our leaders to support U.S. agro producers. With spring planting underway in many areas of the nation, this bill lays the groundwork to improve the odds of a sustainable growing season in the coming weeks and months. Now, it’s time we do our part to rise to the challenge of continuing to supply food to our nation and the world.”
NPC CEO Kam Quarles added: “NPC and the other leaders of the specialty crop industry are already working with USDA to target these resources. In particular, we want to ensure that growers and businesses impacted by the huge drop-off in food service have a safety net. This crisis may impact the entire 2020 season and the federal government needs to stand behind these operations.”
The bill includes USD48.9bn for U.S. Department of Agriculture agencies and the Food and Drug Administration to continue to respond to the coronavirus pandemic. Specifically, the bill provides:
- USD9.5bn in emergency funding to support agricultural producers impacted by COVID-19, including producers of specialty crops, producers that supply local food systems, and livestock producers.
- USD3m to USDA Farm Service Agency support temporary staff and overtime costs resulting from increased volume of applications in response to coronavirus.
- USD1bn in lending authority available for the USDA’s Rural Business Cooperative Service Business and Industry loan guarantee program, which provides much-needed financing to business owners that might not be able to qualify for a loan on their own.
The bill provides USD25.06bn in total funding for USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service, including:
- USD8.8bn for Child Nutrition Program food purchases and demonstration projects to increase flexibility for schools.
- USD15.51bn for SNAP to cover waiver authorities granted in H.R. 6201 and anticipated increases in participation as a result of coronavirus.
- USD450m for commodities and distribution of emergency food assistance through community partners, including food banks.
The value of U.S. potato production is over USD3.7bn annually and supports hundreds of thousands of jobs both directly and indirectly.