31 August 2022
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US breeding research allocation welcomed by NPC.
FUNDING for potato breeding research in the US has hit the highest level in history, according to the National Potato Council (NPC).
The Senate Appropriations Committee released its version of the fiscal year 2023 Agriculture Appropriations Bill, detailed 4 million dollars for a potato breeding research program, which is administered by the National Institutes of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).
The bill for agriculture, rural development, food and drug administration, and related agencies' programmes, provides 27.2 billion dollars, an 8% increase.
It also includes language that would prevent the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) from limiting potato access to the school breakfast program, funding from USDA’s Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and waiver provisions that make the Specialty Crop Research Initiative more accessible for public institutions.
Last year NIFA awarded four potato research grants as part of its Special Research Grants program. The institute states that it supports potato research that focuses on the development and testing of superior commercial potato varieties, using classical breeding and advanced molecular and biotechnological approaches.
