LAFAYETTE, La. (KADN) — Louisiana crawfish farmers now have access to some relief after this devastating season brought on by last year’s drought.
The Small Business Administration has approved Gov. Jeff Landry’s request for loans for the crawfish industry.
Since the extreme heat and drought, crawfish lovers are dealing with a lack of supply and high prices. Those on the supply side say this loan will help out a lot.
“No one in the crawfish industry is making money,” said Don Benoit, owner of D&T Crawfish. “It’s a volume industry and we don’t have the volume.”
The SBA loan will grant crawfish farmers, restaurants, processors, grocery stores, and boilers up to $2 million with a low interest rate.
Gov. Landry said he requested the loan from the SBA because of the heat and drought south Louisiana saw through the summer months.
“Because of the drought, we are producing 75% less than we would normally produce, so it’s been a real struggle,” added Benoit.
The drought and triple-digit temperatures caused a significant decrease in water in most crawfish ponds, which makes it harder to catch the crawfish.
“That’s where it comes down to the farmers needing those deep water wells,” said Mia Leger, part owner of Chez Francois. “They either get water from the rain clouds or they get water from their deep water wells.”
Benoit said his crawfish pond is more than 1,800, and when there’s no rain, his water tank runs non-stop so the crawfish don’t die.
“One month of pumping in the month of September was $75,000 when we were pumping on the farms.”
CLICK HERE to apply for a disaster loan.
