There is "very little" evidence that the U.S. food supply will have shortages as a result of the spiraling COVID-19 pandemic, except for in "spotty coverages," Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue said Monday.
"They're very, very minor and when we hear about those, we correct that," Perdue told Fox Business' "Mornings with Maria." "This whole system has been very stable. It's the best food supply chain in the world, and it's demonstrated that in the light of this pandemic."
The epidemic has had some impact, but the farmers and ranchers who grow the food are still there, as are those who process it.
"They're the real heroes, just like your health professionals, coming to work every day, getting the job done, and filling those grocery shelves," said Perdue.
Even after the initial demand surge that stripped shelves in the nation's grocery stores, shipments are coming in and the supplies are being replenished, he added.
Farmers have been hit hard by trade disputes or disagreements with China, show co-host Maria Bartiromo pointed out, but Perdue said China is beginning to buy from the United States, and regulatory issues are being resolved.
"Nevertheless, it's still tough on the farm, all the way through, and farmers are under duress," said Perdue. "We don't know exactly what the long-term impact will be but thankfully with this latest legislation that's passed, Congress provided the resources there to help farmers in need. We'll continue to evaluate that and make some recommendations to the president."
However, Perdue said he does not think farmers or anyone in the food supply will wish to have an equity partner in the U.S. government, like in the action taken last week with the government taking equity stakes in the nation's airlines as a result of federal assistance.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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