National Potato Council CEO Kam Quarles thinks it’s good to have clarity on the direct payment portion of COVID-19 relief, but more help is needed to help potato growers. Quarles says its important the payments go out effectively and hopefully, as new resources come in from Congress, the benefits can expand. “It appears to cover the very front end of what producers are dealing with and it provides flexibility for what’s likely to continue to happen as the country reopens, but we really need to get more resources into the USDA to make sure it is effective.” Quarles says the USDA is trying to get this right. “If this is executed in the beginning in a very efficient manner, it increases the likelihood that this crisis isn’t going to continue in a big way into 2021. Hopefully, we’re going to get into a better place. I think there are still some questions out there. We’re going to have to investigate them as this thing rolls out.” Read a letter the NPC wrote to the USDA.
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