The Senate adopted a joint resolution urging the U.S. Congress and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help farmers in the CNMI and the western Pacific by reducing or waiving the service fees for crop assistance program.
A law passed in June 2008, the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008, raised the service fees for the Non-insured Crop Assistance Program.
Under the amendment, service fees increased from $100 to $250 per crop per country, and rose from $300 to $750 per producer per county, with the maximum total fee per producer increasing from $900 to $1,875.
Senate President Pete P. Reyes, author of Senate Joint Resolution 16-14, said the large fee increase has created a hardship for farmers in the CNMI and western Pacific region who are unable to compete with large agricultural producers in other areas and cannot afford higher premiums.
“A consequence of the fee increase has been the withdrawal of many CNMI and western Pacific farmers from the program,” Reyes said.
The resolution urges the U.S. Congress to amend Section 7333(k)(1) to reduce the Non-Insured Crop Assistance Program service fees “for disadvantaged farmers in the CNMI and Guam to their level prior to the Public Law 110-246 amendments.”
In the alternative, the resolution asks the U.S. Agriculture secretary to define CNMI and Guam farmers as “limited resource farmers” under 7 USC 7333(k)(2) so that they may be eligible for a waiver of service fees under the Non-Insured Crop Assistance Program.”
The Senate adopted the resolution during its Nov. 19 session.
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