Since the United States-China trade war began, the U.S. government has purchased a record amount of Alaska pollock. Now, the United States Department of Agriculture says it plans to purchase an additional USD 41 million (EUR 37 million) worth of the fish.
USDA’s Agriculture Marketing Service said in a public notice that it will solicit bids in the near-future for frozen Alaska pollock fillets and sticks. The pollock will be used in various food assistance programs, it said.
The purpose of the large pollock buy is “to encourage the continued domestic consumption of these products by diverting them from the normal channels of trade and commerce,” the USDA said.
“The Association of Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers, on behalf of the entire wild Alaska pollock industry, commends and thanks the [Trump] administration and the USDA for this commitment and strong support for our nation’s fishermen,” Craig Morris, the executive director of the trade group Genuine Alaska Pollock Producers, told SeafoodSource. “While details of this purchase commitment are still forthcoming, it is known that this purchase will be used to feed America’s most food insecure populations. Thanks to this purchase commitment, Alaska pollock being harvested off the Alaska coast this year will reach even more homes, and even more hungry consumers,” Morris added.
AMS will host a phone conference call on 20 August at 1 p.m. Central Standard Time to explain the program requirements and answer questions from industry. To be eligible to submit offers, potential contractors must meet the AMS vendor qualification requirements.
Image courtesy of Svetlana Klaise/Shutterstock
