The agriculture sector has more time to comment on the impacts of concentration and competition challenges in seed, fertilizer, other agricultural inputs, and retail markets. The Department of Agriculture this week announced a 30-day extension to the public comment period. The new deadline is June 15, 2022.
Three requests for information were published in the Federal Register on March 17, 2022, each with a 60-day comment period ending May 16, 2022. USDA seeks information about competition matters related to fertilizer, seed and agricultural inputs, particularly related to the intellectual property system, and food retail, including access to retail for agricultural producers and small and medium-sized food processors through wholesale and distribution markets.
To enhance fair and competitive markets, the initiative supports additional fertilizer production for farmers and spurs competition to address rising costs, including price hikes from the war in Ukraine, and recent supply chain disruptions. All written comments should be posted online at www.regulations.gov.