USDA is allocating more than $70 million to support 372 projects under the Plant Protection Act’s Section 7721 program to strengthen the nation’s infrastructure for pest detection and surveillance, identification, and threat mitigation; to safeguard the nursery production system; and to respond to plant pest emergencies. Of the 372 projects, 28 projects are receiving $7.5 million through the National Clean Plant Network (NCPN). In total, California is the largest recipient of the funds at $17.6 million, followed by Florida, Washington and Texas.
“In 2019, California agriculture generated more than $50 billion in cash receipts and exports totaling about $21.7 billion. The state is a leader in U.S. agricultural production, and protecting that vital industry is essential to keeping our nation’s agricultural economy strong,” said USDA Under Secretary Jenny Moffitt. “These projects we are funding are focused on doing just that.”
For a complete listing of the PPA allocations for 2022, click here. The NCPN allocations are here. Some of the projects include:
- Asian giant hornet research and eradication efforts: $898,974 in Washington and other states;
- Exotic fruit fly survey and detection: $5,742,671 in Florida and California;
- Agriculture plant pest detector dog teams: $5,887,418 to programs in California, Florida, Pennsylvania, New York and nationally to support detector dog team training and maintenance for domestic pest detection;
- Honey bee and pollinator health: $1,549,122 to protect honey bees, bumble bees and other important pollinators from harmful pests.
For more news, go to: www.Agri-Pulse.com
