The U.S. Department of Agriculture has awarded $243 million to help the specialty crop industry, including growers of fruits, vegetables, tree nuts and nursery crops.
“This historic level of funding will help the specialty crops industry recover from the effects of the pandemic,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement. “Over the coming months as we work diligently to transform our food system, you will continue to see Build Back Better funding announced that includes a mix of grants, loans, and innovative financing mechanisms.”
The agency also announced nearly $74 million for research grants on specialty crops.
"USDA announces an investment of nearly $74 million to 21 award recipients through its Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI) grants program," the agency tweeted.
Since 2006, USDA has invested more than $880 million to help growers of specialty crops.
"SCRI program investments address critical challenges facing conventional and organic food and agricultural production systems across the specialty crop industry," the news release said. "The program’s priority focus areas include improving crop characteristics, managing threats from pests and diseases, improving production efficiency, profitability, and technological innovation, and mitigating food safety hazards."
One example of a program funded by the grants is the North Carolina State University’s project on developing a new propagation strategy to reduce the spread of pathogens in the strawberry industry.
