US secretary of agriculture Sonny Perdue has announced new details on eligibility for a new US Department of Agriculture (USDA) disaster programme, the 2017 Wildfires and Hurricanes Indemnity Program (2017 WHIP), while also confirming that the USDA will provide US$340m through a block grant to the State of Florida for Hurricane Irma losses to citrus production.
This grant will cover losses expected during the 2018-2020 crop years, reimbursement for the cost of buying and planting replacement trees – including resetting and grove rehabilitation – and for repair of damages to irrigation systems among other things.
In total, USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) will deploy up to US$2.36bn that Congress appropriated through the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 to help producers with recovery of their agricultural operations in at least nine states with hurricane damage and other states impacted by wildfire.
Following the announcement, secretary Perdue, Florida governor Rick Scott, and Florida commissioner of agriculture Adam Putnam issued the following statements:
“Last year our nation experienced some of the most significant disasters we have seen in decades, some back-to-back, at the most critical time in their production year,' said Perdue. 'The Florida citrus industry was likely hit the hardest, and with such a high-value crop, they face a steeper financial burden and as a whole, have less coverage through our traditional insurance options.
'Under the direction of President Trump, my office has been working directly with governor Scott and commissioner Putnam in Florida to put a process in place that will ensure the Florida citrus industry maintains its infrastructure and can continue to be the signature crop for the state,” he added. “Our team is working as quickly as possible to make this available to farmers in need and continues to provide excellent customer service, which began the day the storm hit through a successful recovery within local communities.”
Governor Scott outlined that, since the hurricane, he had been fighting for Florida’s citrus growers to get the relief they needed to rebuild their livelihoods, including taking immediate steps to provide relief from the state.
'Our citrus growers have had many challenges over the last few years, including fighting citrus greening, which was compounded by the ravaging effects of Hurricane Irma,' Scott explained. 'Florida prides itself on our incredible and iconic citrus industry and this funding will help ensure that Florida remains synonymous with citrus.”
“While no amount of relief can make the farmers who suffered damages from Hurricane Irma whole, this much-needed disaster relief will help Florida agriculture get back on its feet,' added Putnam. 'I thank secretary Perdue, governor Scott, our federal leaders and the agriculture industry for their collaborative efforts to provide this relief. Florida’s US$120bn agriculture industry is a pillar of our economy, and we must continue to give our farmers and ranchers the support they need to thrive.'
