Farm Aid Will Be Temporary Even in Extended Trade War, Ag Secretary Says
- $12 billion plan based on 2018 crop choices made pre-tariffs
- Agriculture markets to adjust to new trade environment
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A $12 billion assistance plan for farmers hit by a growing trade war is unlikely to be extended in future years even if tariff battles continue, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said Wednesday.
The mix of direct payments to farmers, commodity purchases for food-aid programs, and stepped-up promotion of new export markets announced by the Trump administration Tuesday is based on losses related to 2018 crops that were planted well before retaliatory tariffs from China, Canada and other nations began, Perdue said after speaking at an agriculture conference in Arlington, Virginia.