{"id":68709,"date":"2022-03-16T11:11:56","date_gmt":"2022-03-16T15:11:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.agribusinessglobal.com\/?p=68709"},"modified":"2022-03-11T11:14:46","modified_gmt":"2022-03-11T16:14:46","slug":"usda-invests-250-million-to-support-american-made-fertilizer-to-give-u-s-farmers-more-choices","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.agribusinessglobal.com\/es\/plant-health\/npk\/usda-invests-250-million-to-support-american-made-fertilizer-to-give-u-s-farmers-more-choices\/","title":{"rendered":"El USDA invierte $250 millones para apoyar fertilizantes fabricados en Estados Unidos para dar a los agricultores estadounidenses m\u00e1s opciones"},"content":{"rendered":"

The USDA is announcing it will support additional fertilizer production for American farmers to address rising costs, including the impact of Putin\u2019s price hike on farmers, and spur competition. USDA will make available $250 million through a new grant program this summer to support independent, innovative and sustainable American fertilizer production to supply American farmers. Additionally, to address growing competition concerns in the agricultural supply chain, USDA will launch a public inquiry seeking information regarding seeds and agricultural inputs, fertilizer, and retail markets.<\/p>\n

\u201cRecent supply chain disruptions from the global pandemic to Putin\u2019s unprovoked war against Ukraine have shown just how important it is to invest in this crucial link in the agricultural supply chain here at home,\u201d said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, \u201cThe planned investment is one example of many Biden-Harris Administration initiatives to bring production and jobs back to the United States, promote competition, and support American goods and services. As the President said [at the State of the Union], we are working to rebuild the economy towards resilience, security, and sustainability, and this support to provide domestic, sustainable and independent choices for fertilizer supplies is part of that effort. In addition to the jobs, lower costs and more reliable supply, increased investment in the domestic fertilizer industry will help address climate change by reducing the greenhouse gas emissions associated with transportation, while also fostering more sustainable production methods and more precise application.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fertilizer prices have more than doubled since last year due to many factors including Putin\u2019s price hike, a limited supply of the relevant minerals and high energy costs, high global demand and agricultural commodity prices, reliance on fertilizer imports, and lack of competition in the fertilizer industry.<\/p>\n

The United States is a major importer and dependent on foreign fertilizer and is the second or third top importer for each of the three major components of fertilizer. The top producers of the major components of fertilizer include China, Russia, Canada, and Morocco, with Belarus also providing a significant share of potash.<\/p>\n

USDA will use funds from the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) set aside in September for market disruptions to develop a grant program that provides \u2018gap\u2019 financing to bring new, independent domestic production capacity on-line\u2014similar to the recently announced meat and poultry grants that are designed to promote competition and resilience in that sector.<\/p>\n

The new program will support fertilizer production that is:<\/p>\n