Congressman Clay Higgins (R-LA) announced Thursday that the U.S. Department of Agriculture will purchase up to $25 million of Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic Wild-Caught Shrimp to address food system supply chain disruptions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to a release from Higgins’ office, the USDA will purchase these products via the Food and Nutrition Service. Orders should be received during the first week of June with solicitations being issued mid-June and awards occurring near the end of the month.
Solicitations will be available electronically through the Web-Based Supply Chain Management system and on the Agricultural Marketing Service’s website at www.ams.usda.gov/selling-food.
To be eligible to submit offers, potential contractors must meet the AMS vendor qualification requirements and be domestic operations. You can read more about USDA’s announcement here.
Higgins also issued the following statement with his announcement:
My office has continuously pushed for greater inclusion of Gulf seafood in USDA’s food and nutrition programs. Today’s announcement is a win on that front and provides support for Louisiana shrimpers. We will continue working to prioritize Louisiana’s seafood industry.
