Making the most of a tough year (Jenna Martin photo)
Feb 04, 2020
WASHINGTON, DC -- On Monday, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced the third tranche of the 2019 Market Facilitation Program (MFP). The aid payments, designed to assist farmers effected by retaliatory tariffs during the ongoing trade disputes, will be the last round from the 2019 program.
“It’s been a great start to 2020 for American Agriculture with the signing of the historic Phase One Deal with China and the signing of USMCA,” said Secretary Perdue. “While these agreements are welcome news, we must not forget that 2019 was a tough year for farmers as they were the tip of the spear when it came to unfair trade retaliation.”
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency will be administering these payments to producers of long grain and medium grain and temperate japonica rice, as well as other covered commodities. In this last round, farmers will receive the remaining 25 percent of the overall payment expected.
“The Market Facilitation Program payments have been instrumental in keeping many rice farms afloat while trade disputes continue and retaliatory tariffs on U.S. rice remain in place,” said Nicole Montna Van Vleck, California rice farmer and chair of the USA Rice Farmers. “USA Rice appreciates this crucial assistance provided to rice farmers.”
USDA says that farmers can expect to receive payments as early as the end of this week.