The U.S. Department of Agriculture is seeking bidders for contracts to supply millions of dollars worth of catfish and pollock to the federal government, as part of a USD 70 million (EUR 65 million) aid package related to the COVID-19 crisis.
Suppliers must bid on USD 30 million (EUR 27.7 million) worth of catfish purchases by 18 May and USD 20 million (EUR 18.4 million) worth of Alaska pollock purchases by 22 May, according to a solicitation request from the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service. The service will also purchase USD 20 million (EUR 18.4 million) worth of Atlantic haddock, pollock, and redfish, but bids for those requests have not yet been publicized.
The funding for the Section 32 purchases comes from the USD 2.2 trillion (EUR 2.03 trillion) CARES Act Congress passed in late March.
“USDA is in the unique position to purchase these foods and deliver them to the hungry Americans who need it most,” U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue said in a press release.
USDA AMS will announce the winning bids for the catfish purchases by midnight on 29 May, it said in a notice.
The agency is asking suppliers of frozen breaded catfish strips to make deliveries of the product to cities in Georgia and Texas between 16 August and 15 September, 2020.
USDA AMS will also announce the winning bidders for a contract for nearly 1.9 million pounds of frozen Alaska pollock fillets and breaded sticks by 29 May, it said in a notice. Suppliers must be able to deliver the pollock to several U.S. cities between 1 September, 2020, and 29 February, 2021.
Photo courtesy of Gil C./Shutterstock
