The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) said this week it plans to purchase $25 million (€25 million) of South Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico wild-caught shrimp.
When completed, this will mark the third straight year in which the USDA has made significant purchases of domestic shrimp, according to the agency.
US Republican House Representatives Garret Graves and Gary Carl urged the USDA to make the purchases earlier this year, citing continued challenges that included "Hurricane Ida, skyrocketing inflation, gas prices, and supply chain issues."
In September of 2020, the USDA’s Commodity Procurement Program purchased $25.1 million (€25.3 million) worth of wild-caught domestic shrimp and followed that up with a purchase of $24.8 million (€25 million) worth of wild-caught domestic shrimp in September 2021.
The USDA has not yet released a formal bid for the products.
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