U.S. Department of Agriculture announces more than US$50 million in awards to expand domestic fertilizer production

USDA also announced US$52.6 million in awards under the Fertilizer Production Expansion Program, which will fund 17 new projects to boost domestic fertilizer manufacturing, support innovative fertilizer technologies, and help lower costs for farmers.

As part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, Secretary Vilsack announced these during a visit to Pernault Farms in Kankakee, Ill., where the double cropping practice is being utilised. Support for double cropping and domestic fertilizer production expansion are part of a broader set of commitments made in September 2022 by President Biden and Secretary Vilsack, at a nearby Kankakee Farm, to help producers boost production and address global food security. The fertilizer production expansion program (FPEP) is funded by USDA’s commodity credit corporation and is part of a government-wide effort to spur domestic competition and combat an increase in fertilizer costs caused by the war in Ukraine.

“With President Biden’s leadership, USDA is creating a resilient, sustainable and competitive agricultural economy, which allows farmers to continue doing what they do best by growing food for the rest of the world,” said Agriculture Secretary Vilsack. “Through a farmer-focused commitment, we will continue to build on our efforts to lower costs, bring made-in-America jobs to rural communities, and strengthen the agricultural supply chain and market opportunities to the benefit of producers.”

Fertilizer Production Expansion Program

In 2022, USDA made US$500 million available under the Fertilizer Production Expansion Program, to increase innovative domestic fertilizer production, creating jobs in rural communities and providing more options to U.S. farmers. Due to strong demand for funding, in June of 2023, USDA increased the funding available for FPEP to up to US$900 million.

The Department received requests for US$3 billion in applications from more than 350 businesses for the first two rounds of the program. Since the program was announced roughly 18 months ago USDA has awarded 33 projects for a total of over US$121 million invested. USDA expects to announce additional project selections in the coming months and is inviting public comments on four projects through November 15, 2023.

Read the article online at: https://www.worldfertilizer.com/project-news/18102023/us-department-of-agriculture-announces-more-than-us50-million-in-awards-to-expand-domestic-fertilizer-production/