Mississippi Commissioner of Agriculture and Commerce Andy Gipson announced that residents receiving unsolicited packages of seeds from China, or any foreign country, can now drop off the seeds at the Mississippi State University (MSU) Extension Office located in their county.
“I want to thank MSU Director of Extension Dr. Gary Jackson and the MSU Extension Offices in each county for providing assistance with seed collection during this time. We are continuing to get calls from across the state. We have had 82 reports of these seeds from 45 counties. We ask that the public hold on to the mailing label and place the seeds and packaging in a plastic bag prior to drop off, if possible” said Commissioner Gipson. “The Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce is continuing to work closely with the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service on this issue.”
If unable to drop off seeds at the local MSU Extension Office, residents can continue to contact the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce’s Bureau of Plant Industry by phoning (662) 325-3390 for further instructions. Visit www.extension.msstate.edu/
Press Release
7/30/2020
