US: Louisiana declares disaster amid crawfish shortage

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is offering low-interest federal disaster loans to crawfish businesses in the U.S. state of Louisiana that were affected by extreme drought after the state’s governor issued a disaster declaration earlier in March 2024.“The SBA's mission-driven team stands ready to help Louisiana small businesses affected by the drought and resulting crawfish shortage," SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman said. “We’re committed to providing federal disaster loans swiftly and efficiently, with a customer-centric approach to help businesses and communities weather this environmental and economic challenge.”Drought conditions that began last year have impacted 365,000 acres used by the Louisiana crawfish industry, according to the state government, and have resulted in crawfish shortages, with Louisiana State University’s Agriculture Center estimating potential losses of nearly USD 140 million (EUR 130 million). Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry ...