USDA helps Georgia shrimpers, not for catfish farmers

USDA helps Georgia shrimpers, not for catfish farmers    The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service has re-certified the trade adjustment assistance petition initially filed by the Georgia Shrimp Association on Nov. 19, 2003.
   Shrimpers that land their catch in Georgia will be eligible to apply for fiscal year 2005 benefits during a 90-day period starting on Nov. 29, 2004 and ending on Feb. 28, 2005.
   The agency determined that continued increases in shrimp imports contributed to a significant decline in the average landed price of shrimp in Georgia by 37.7 percent during the 2003 marketing period (January-December), compared to the 1997-2001 base period.
   Eligible producers may request technical assistance from the USDA Extension Service at no cost and receive an adjustment assistance payment, if certain program requirements are met, the Foreign Agricultural Service said.
   The agency, however, terminated the same assistance to the Catfish Farmers of America. The group represents catfish producers in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas and Utah.
   The Foreign Agricultural Service determined that domestic producer prices for catfish did not decline at least 20 percent during the 2003 marketing year (January-December), when compared to average prices during the five-year base period ending December 2001. In addition, during the 2003 marketing year, imports did not increase, but declined by 16.2 percent, the agency said.