(Washington, DC) WNAV — Grant funding adding up to approximately $50-million dollars is being announced by The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) today to support the commercial seafood industry.
The grant funding will be distributed through state agencies in half of the country.
The subsidy is in response to additional pandemic costs added for processing vessels, operations of facilities and staffing.
The program is funded by the Pandemic Assistance provided in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021.
According to: USDA 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.”
Once the money is available, seafood processors and processing vessels should apply to their state agency.
A listing of state contacts will be made available on the USDA website.
