USDA announced several additional specialty crops are now eligible for benefits under the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP), while others – apples, blueberries, garlic, potatoes, raspberries, tangerines and taro – will see expanded benefits due a price loss that was 5% or greater between mid-January and mid-April.
Peaches and rhubarb no longer qualify for the sales loss portion of the payments and USDA also corrected payment rates on several commodities. Producers of the additional commodities determined to be eligible can start signing up for the benefits July 13.
USDA did not indicate eggs would be added as an eligible commodity nor that classes of wheat other than hard red spring wheat and durum would be eligible.
“USDA is still evaluating comments and will issue another document with additional determinations and payment rates,” USDA said in a Federal Register notice published Friday, noting in a release that additional eligible commodities would be announced “in the coming weeks.”
Despite the changes announced this week, USDA said that it “will not change CFAP costs” even as some have speculated the actions will mean the program could run out of money even earlier.
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