The National Potato Council welcomed the USDA statement on the purchase of surplus potatoes worth $ 50 million to support the industry during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. The purchase of potatoes, the largest of all purchases of special crops, was part of a $ 470 million public procurement announced by the USDA
“This is very good news from the entire USDA team. Given the magnitude of the coronavirus crisis affecting the potato industry, this purchase is a partial initial contribution to the general needs of the industry in the form of assistance, and we hope for more. In the short term, this statement is very positive, as it gives clarity about the immediate efforts to support the state and gives family farmers hope for further assistance, ”said Britt Reybold, president of NPC.
“Because of the forced stops, the US potato industry is faced with an overabundance of potatoes left over from the 2019 harvest,” added NPC CEO Cam Quarles.
“Individual potato producers and state-owned potato associations, despite their own financial losses, sent millions of pounds of potatoes to charity organizations, food banks across the country. They supported the needy, although a pandemic threatens their own business. We urgently need Congress and the Trump administration to protect America’s family farms in the face of this crisis, and we believe that today's announcement is the first positive step on this long journey, ”Quarles said.
According to the announcement, the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) will purchase a wide range of fruits, vegetables, meat, dairy products and seafood. These products will then be provided to the US Department of Agriculture food assistance programs.