President Donald Trump, with U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Purdue, announced that an amount of $19 billion would be allocated for the relief of farmers and ranchers who are negatively impacted by COVID-19.

The Role of Farmers in the United States Amid COVID-19

Farmers play a vital role in the United States in sustaining the food supply in the country amid COVID-19. While most of the Americans are in their homes following the stay-at-home policy to control the spread of the virus, many farmers are on the field making sure that there is enough food supply.

In California alone, there are more than 400,000 Latino and Hispanic farmers, and this does not include American farmers. These farmworkers are at high risk because they do not have adequate personal protective equipment like masks and gloves; most of all, their wages are considerably low.

Famers also contribute to a significant amount of income every year. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service, the net farm income is expected to increase to $3.1 billion--that's a 3.3 percent increase from last year.


$19 Billion Worth of Relief Aid to Farmers

President Donald Trump recognized the efforts of farmers who work night and day in the field without complaining. The $19 billion relief aid to the farmers will be divided into two programs, which will benefit farmers, ranchers, and consumers as well.

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said that an amount of $3 billion would be used to purchase agricultural products suck as dairy, meat products, and other agricultural products. They will be distributed to the people in need. 

The remaining $16 billion will be paid directly to the farmers and ranchers to boost their income as they continue to sustain the food chain in the country and make sure that there is enough food for every family in the country.

Trump said: "This will help our farmers and our ranchers, and it's money well deserved," Meanwhile, Perdue also recounted during his speech that Trump wrote in one of his posts that he will always stand with the farmers, which was much appreciated.

US Recognizes the Significant Contributions of Migrant Farm Workers in the Country

The $19 billion relief aid is just the first part of Trump's plan for the agriculture sector because he also said that another $14 billion is set to be released in July. 

The demand for dairy has fallen by 15 percent since the COVID-19 outbreak in the country, according to the Dairy Farmers of America. Half of the demands are coming from the grocery stores, and the other half is from the food services industry like restaurants, hotels, and airlines, which are temporarily shutting down its operation.

This simply means that there is a high demand for food and agricultural products in the grocery stores by 20 percent, but it is an irony of the demand that has fallen to 40 percent in restaurants and other food chains in the country.  

A few weeks ago, the CARES Act passed by Congress initially tried to address some disparity by putting aside $48.4 billion for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. 


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