USDA awards funding to twenty-four states and the territory of American Samoa.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced last week the investment of $50 million under the Seafood Processors Pandemic Response and Safety Block Grant Program. The department said that twenty-four states will receive grants to “help defray costs incurred by seafood processing facilities and processing vessels preparing for, preventing exposure to, and responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.”
“USDA is working with agricultural and food businesses to ensure that, following the pandemic disruptions, they have the resources and tools to continue building more and better markets, and to thrive in 2022 and beyond,” stated Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Jenny Lester Moffitt. “This funding for seafood processors and processing vessels will serve as a bridge, providing relief to an industry that was greatly affected by the pandemic as well as the resulting changes in consumer demand. This program is part of our larger pandemic assistance program, providing support to producers, distributors, processors and other small agricultural businesses to get our food system back on track.”
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For Secretary Vilsack as he oversees the distribution of grant investments in the seafood industry.
- For Under Secretary Moffitt as she manages USDA marketing and regulatory programs.
- For seafood producers as they work to recover from the pandemic shutdown.
Sources: Department of Agriculture
