USDA Will Purchase Pinto and Great Northern Beans

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced plans to purchase up to $25 million Great Northern and pinto beans for surplus removal, also known as Section 32. Section 32 authority is used for domestic food assistance programs. An invitation for bids will be issued in the near future and will be published exclusively on USDA’s Web Based Supply Chain Management system (WBSCM). The effort to include these dry edible beans in the Section 32 program was lead by Northarvest Bean Growers Association, North Central Bean Dealers, and the Nebraska Dry Bean Growers association who all worked closely with Congressional representatives and Governors.

This is welcome news as certain segments of the U.S. dry bean industry are experiencing surpluses in some classes of beans and are also facing competitive challenges in global export markets. We will report more when additional information is available about the specific volume and value of dry beans to be purchased through this program.