The US agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack announced on Wednesday 24 September that the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) will be investing US$52m to support the country’s specialty crop producers.
The money will be invested through a series of grants by the 2013 Specialty Crop Block Grant Programme awards and includes 54 block grants to US states and territories.
These grants will support 694 separate initiatives by fresh fruit and vegetable producers throughout the country, and help strengthen markets for specialty crops.
'These investments will strengthen rural American communities by supporting local and regional markets and improving access to fresh, high quality fruits and vegetables for millions of Americans,' said Vilsack in a USDA media release.
'These grants also help growers make food safety enhancements, solve research needs, and make better informed decisions to increase profitability and sustainability.'
Initiatives are set to be selected on a range of criteria including increasing nutritional knowledge, improving efficiency, enhancing food safety, controlling pests and diseases and developing new, improved seed varieties.
The programme aims to promote and increase the opportunities for producers of specialty crop producers.
