The U.S. Department of Agriculture has awarded Itta Bena, Mississippi-based America’s Catch a contract to supply USD 1.67 million (EUR 1.4 million) worth of raw, unbreaded catfish fillets for child nutrition and other domestic assistance programs for fiscal year 2021.
America’s Catch will deliver 342,000 pounds of catfish to numerous U.S. cities between January and June 2021.
In June, the USDA also awarded Ibola, Mississippi-based Consolidated Catfish Companies more than USD 3.9 million (EUR 3.3 million) to supply frozen breaded catfish strips for child nutrition and other domestic assistance programs for fiscal year 2020.
Consolidated was also one of the suppliers benefiting from the USDA’s recent purchases of 217,000 cases of frozen shrimp worth USD 25.14 million (EUR 21 million).
Consolidated is supplying both tail-on and peeled and deveined shrimp in a contract worth more than USD 3.3 million (EUR 2.8 million).
The USDA has been on a buying spree of domestic seafood this year – partially due to increased need created by the COVID-19 pandemic. Alaska suppliers, including Trident Seafood and Channel Fish, have been some of the biggest benefactors of the pollock contracts, worth nearly USD 26.4 million (EUR 22.3 million), according to Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers.
