Farmers hurt by trade wars to get $4.7 billion in relief payments starting next month

Michael Collins | USA TODAY

WASHINGTON – The Agriculture Department said Monday it will soon begin paying $4.7 billion to farmers whose harvests have been hurt by “unjustified retaliation” from foreign governments in trade wars with the United States.

The compensation is the initial payment of some $12 billion in aid that President Donald Trump promised in July to farmers slammed by tariffs.

“Our farmers work hard and are the most productive in the world, and we aim to protect them,” Agriculture Secretary Sonny Purdue said.

Starting Sept. 4, the USDA’s Farm Service Agency will administer a program to provide payments to corn, cotton, diary, hog, sorghum, soybean and wheat farmers. Soybean farmers will get the bulk of the money, $3.7 billion. Pork producers will get $290 million, while cotton farmers will receive $277 million.

An announcement about further payments will be made in the coming months, if warranted, the USDA said.

A separate program will be used to buy $1.2 billion in commodities unfairly targeted by unjustified retaliation, the USDA said. The commodities will be distributed through nutrition assistance programs such as The Emergency Food Assistance Program and child nutrition programs.

Pork producers will get $558 million through that program, while $93 million will go toward the purchase of apples. Another $85 million will be used to buy and redistribute both pistachios and dairy products.

In addition, another $200 million will be made available to develop foreign markets for U.S. agricultural products. The program will help U.S. agricultural exporters identify and access new markets and help mitigate the adverse effects of other countries’ restrictions, the USDA said.

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