MEDIA RELEASE

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has designated Maui and Hawaii counties as primary natural disaster areas due to losses caused by an ongoing drought that, for purposes of this disaster designation, began January 9, 2012, and continues.

“Assistance at this point and time is critically important for producers in Hawaii, especially in helping them keep their farmland healthy for the remainder of the year,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “President Obama and I realize that during this time of disaster, federal assistance will be needed until conditions improve and farmers strive to recover from their losses.”

This disaster designation makes all qualified farm operators on the islands of Maui, Molokai, Lanai and Hawaii eligible for low interest emergency loans (EM) from USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), provided eligibility requirements are met. Farmers have eight months from the date of the declaration to apply for loans to help cover part of their actual losses. Farm Service Agency will consider each loan application on its own merits, taking into account the extent of losses, security available and repayment ability.

The USDA also has other programs avail-able to assist farmers and ranchers, including Federal Crop Insurance; and the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program. Interested farmers may contact their local USDA Service Centers for further information on eligibility requirements and application procedures for these and other programs. Additional information is also available online at http://disaster.fsa.usda.gov.