COLUMBIA – The South Carolina Department of Agriculture (SCDA) is partnering with USDA Agricultural Marketing Service to offer over $4 million in competitive grants to support middle-of-the-food-supply-chain infrastructure for domestic food and farm businesses and other eligible entities.

Grants under the Resilient Food System Infrastructure program, or RFSI, will support expanded capacity for the aggregation, processing, manufacturing, storing, transporting, wholesaling, and distribution of locally and regionally produced food products, including specialty crops, dairy, grains and other row crops for human consumption, aquaculture, and other food products, excluding meat and poultry, and wild-caught seafood.

“Strengthening the middle of the food supply chain in South Carolina will provide stronger markets for local farmers, increase stability for consumers, and help ensure a strong future of agriculture in the state,” said South Carolina Commissioner of Agriculture Hugh Weathers.

SCDA conducted statewide outreach through a listening call, survey, in-person outreach meetings, and a month-long comment period to identify funding priorities for the RFSI program in South Carolina. Based on the collected data and input, funding priorities for South Carolina RFSI subawards will include:

•        Projects that increase local producers’ abilities to process, aggregate, and distribute product through the construction, expansion, or modernization of cold and dry storage facilities.

•        Projects that increase local producers’ abilities to process, aggregate, and distribute product through the creation of additional transportation to move product, and that increase distribution channels through the construction, expansion, or modernization of distribution facilities.

•        Projects that increase processing capacity, creating new distribution channels and markets for value-added products.

•        Projects that purchase and/or modernize middle-of-the-food-supply-chain equipment, packaging, and food safety and labor needs; and increase local producers’ abilities to process, aggregate, and distribute agricultural products.

Two types of awards are being offered with this funding: Infrastructure Grants ($100,000 to $3 million) and Simplified Equipment-Only Grants ($10,000 to $100,000). SCDA is taking applications through Feb. 9 for the equipment-only application, and through March 1 for the infrastructure program.

Visit agriculture.sc.gov/rfsi for more information and to apply. If you have questions, reach out to [email protected].