Growers of coffee, macadamia nuts, cacao, bananas, mangos, vanilla, and other tropical plants in Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and other US regions face ongoing threats from plant pests and invasive weeds, but federal research funding specifically for these crops has been limited. The Tropical Plant Health Initiative Act adds a new category to the USDA's existing specialty-crop research grant program, allowing grants to fund pest management tools, integrated pest control systems, data collection, and biological research on the immune systems of tropical plants. The primary beneficiaries would be agricultural research institutions and farmers in US tropical regions. The law also extends the authorization for the broader research grant program through 2030.
Congressional Summary
Tropical Plant Health Initiative ActThis bill establishes a Tropical Plant Health Initiative as a Department of Agriculture (USDA) high-priority research and extension area and reauthorizes other USDA research and extension initiatives. Under the bill, tropical plants include coffee plants, macadamia trees, cacao trees, plantains and bananas, mangos, floriculture and nursery crops, and vanilla plants.Specifically, the bill allows research and extension grants fordeveloping and disseminating science-based tools and treatments to combat plant pests and noxious weeds that impact tropical plants;establishing an integrated pest management program in areas where tropical plants are affected by plant pests or noxious weeds; andconducting related data collection, research, and investigations regarding the production, health, immune systems, biology, ecology, and genomics of the tropical plants. Further, the bill reauthorizes USDA grants to support competitive specialized research and extension activities, including high-priority areas, through FY2030.
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- House
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Introduced in House
- Action Date
- 2025-09-23
- Date Added
- 2026-06-23
- Source
- Congress.gov →
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