The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is seeking 270,000 pounds of domestically farmed catfish that it aims to put toward domestic food programs.
Interested companies must submit bids to participate by 5 November, and winning suppliers will make deliveries between January and June 2025.
In the new bid notice, the USDA said that bidders are cautioned to bid only quantities “they can reasonably expect to produce and deliver.” Additionally, it reminded prime vendors that they are prohibited from subcontracting with companies or individuals that have been suspended or debarred.
Offers must be submitted electronically via the USDA’s Web-Based Supply Chain Management System.
The USDA has been buying large quantities of catfish and other domestic seafood this year. In late June, the agency awarded USD 22.86 million (EUR 21 million) worth of catfish contracts to several U.S. catfish producers. That bid saw the agency contract for 4.94 million pounds of raw catfish fillets for between USD 4.25 (EUR 3.91) and USD 5.75 (EUR 5.30) per pound.
More recently, in September, the agency awarded contracts for various species of seafood, including whiting and rockfish, from the U.S. Pacific Northwest worth more than USD 17 million (EUR 15.6 million), following requests from politicians and seafood organizations to do so.
