RALEIGH – The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is offering $6.2 million in funding through a new grant program geared toward small agribusinesses and designed to strengthen the middle of the food supply chain.
Grants of up to $100,000 for equipment only purchases and up to $2 million for infrastructure projects will be available through a competitive application process. These grants will better position produce, dairy products, eggs, aquaculture and value-added products produced in our state to improve food and agricultural supply chain resiliency including additional opportunities for profitability. Grants distributed through this program will fund projects that expand capacity and infrastructure for the aggregation, processing, manufacturing, storing, transporting, wholesaling, or distribution of targeted agricultural products. Applications for the program will be accepted May 1 through June 15.
“Over the past three years, North Carolina has been able to successfully capitalize on funding to strengthen our food supply through a pioneering series of grants that have increased local production and processing capacity for meat and seafood. This program will expand on that mission,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler. “Consumers saw the importance of local food production during the pandemic when supply chain challenges disrupted the availability of some products. So, strengthening our food supply chain will greatly benefit consumers and producers long-term. We’ll be better prepared for the future.”
Funding for the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure program comes through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service and is authorized by the American Rescue Plan.
A series of information sessions about the program are being planned and dates and locations will be posted on the NCDA&CS website at https://www.ncagr.gov. More program details and the application form can also be found under the RFSI Grants link.
-aea-1,2