Collateral Damage

The subsidization of Peruvian asparagus farmers seemed like a good idea to government officials in the early 1990’s, but has been anything but good for American asparagus growers; in fact, it has been downright devastating. In an effort to slow down the rapid flow of cocaine into the U.S.from Peru the United States at that time started to subsidize a year round Peruvian asparagus industry. It resulted in highly successful and financially prosperous asparagus and cocaine exportations into the U.S.for Peru. Here in the states however that well meaning program has resulted in the demise of a century old industry with the closure of numerous American asparagus processing plants, in turn putting hundreds of asparagus farmers out of business. In an effort to amend these great losses the government included an Asparagus Revenue Market Loss Assistance Payment Program into the 2008 Farm Bill. But as many asparagus farmers would tell you, it was probably too little, too late. Government officials once again are treading that familiar path of good intentions, attesting that it was not their intent to cripple an American industry.