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Farm Service Agency Public Affairs Staff 1400 Independence Ave SW Stop 0506, Room 3624-South Washington, D.C. 20250-0506
Release No. 1400.08
Kerry Humphrey (202) 720-9733
WASHINGTON, Jan. 2, 2008 - The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) today announced interest rates for January 2008. The CCC borrowing rate-based charge is 3.250 percent for January 2008, down from 3.750 percent in December 2007. For 1996 and subsequent crop year commodity and marketing assistance loans, the interest rate for loans disbursed during January 2008 is 4.250 percent, down from 4.750 percent in December 2007.
The interest rate for farm storage facility loans approved for January 2008 is 3.625 percent, down from 4.125 percent in December 2007. The interest rate for sugar storage facility loans for January 2008 is 4.500 percent, down from 4.625 percent in December 2007.
The maximum discount rate applicable for January 2008 for the Tobacco Transition Payment Program is 9.0 percent, down from 10.0 percent in December 2007. This is based on the 7.25 prime rate plus 2 percent, rounded to the nearest whole number.
Past monthly releases announcing interest rates charged by CCC on commodity and marketing assistance loans disbursed for that particular month reflect the interest rate the U.S. Treasury charged CCC for that month. This was the interest rate specified by CCC since Jan. 1, 1982, but the process of establishing the interest rate was changed by a provision of the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 (the Act), enacted on April 4, 1996.
Section 163 of the Act requires that monthly interest rates applicable to commodity and marketing assistance loans are to be 100 basis points -- or 1 percent -- greater than the rate determined under the applicable interest rate formula in effect on Oct. 1, 1995. This formula resulted in a rate equivalent to the amount the U.S. Treasury charged CCC for borrowing for the month.
Further program information is available from USDA Farm Service Agency's (FSA) Financial Management Division at (703) 305-1386.
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NOTE: FSA news releases are available online at: http://www.fsa.usda.gov.
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