US Weighs Fertilizer Relief For Farmers

(MENAFN- IANS) Washington, March 14 (IANS) The Trump administration is preparing potential measures to shield American farmers from rising fertilizer costs linked to global tensions, including developments involving Iran, US Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said at the White House.

Addressing reporters at the White House alongside the Rodeo champions, the agriculture secretary said the administration was closely monitoring fertilizer markets as farmers across the United States move into the critical spring planting season.

“With what’s happening in Iran, what that means for specifically nitrogen, urea, which is one of the key components of fertilizer,” the secretary said.“Our farmers are moving into planting season right now.”

Rollins said the White House was considering multiple options to prevent input costs from rising for farmers, though no formal announcement had yet been made.

“The president is very aware of these challenges and these issues,” the secretary said.“We are very close to having an announcement on some solutions on what that looks.”

She added that officials were reviewing all possible policy responses.

“We’re looking at every potential avenue to keep the fertilizer costs down as these farmers are going into planting season,” she said.“No big announcements yet, but it is coming.”

According to the secretary, the administration is also coordinating with lawmakers on Capitol Hill about possible financial assistance for farmers if costs rise further.

“I have been in conversation with the Hill on that as they’re looking at additional funds for our farmers,” she said.

Asked whether a second relief package could be considered, the secretary indicated that the administration had not ruled out any options.

“Everything is on the table,” she said.

The comments come as the administration rolls out previously announced financial assistance for farmers. Officials said most of the funds from an earlier relief package had already been distributed.

“The early relief package, the $12 billion that we announced on December 6th,” Rollins said, adding that“$11 billion was for our row croppers.”

“That funding opened about two weeks ago and under our new one Farmer One File initiative, so we’re able to move money at warp speed compared to what this USDA has been able to move over many, many years, many decades.”

She said roughly two-thirds of that money had already reached farmers.“So yes, I think almost 2/3 of that money has moved,” she said.

The department is also preparing another tranche of assistance focused on specialty crops.

“We are very close to now the additional $1 billion we talked about for specialty crops,” she said.“We’re finalising the formulas on that. There will be an announcement on that very, very soon.”

The secretary said the administration was also examining broader structural issues affecting the agriculture sector, including rising costs of farm inputs.

Rollins added that federal authorities were also reviewing consolidation in parts of the agricultural supply chain.

“The Department of Justice is looking into all of those,” he said, referring to fertilizer, seed companies, and processors.

The administration also highlighted trade policy as a key element of its agricultural strategy.

“When we walked out of this White House for the last time, not knowing we would be back, we left with an agricultural trade surplus,” the secretary said.“We came back four years later with a $50 billion agricultural trade deficit.”

“In the last year, we’ve had 18 new trade deals thanks to President Trump, who obviously supports our farmers,” she added.

The United States is one of the world’s largest agricultural producers and exporters, with farm exports historically playing a major role in its trade balance. American farmers rely heavily on fertilizers such as nitrogen and urea, which are closely linked to global energy and commodity markets.

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