Looking at the bigger picture

The Northern Marianas College-Cooperative, Extension and Education Service recently assisted a resident on converting her pigpens to aquatic tanks for tilapia production, and expressed its wish to assist the Commonwealth in becoming less reliant on various imported goods.

This is according to aquatic specialist Mike Ogo, who indicated Friday that one of NMC-CREES’ goals is to assist farmers in the hopes of having security in terms of food.

“As you know, just recently we had a Chinese submarine that circled Guam, and what if that escalates into something where we won’t be able to bring food from Asia or California,” Ogo said. “By starting to do something like this, at least we are insured that if things like that happen, we could supply ourselves.”

Ogo was referring to Ines Guerrero’s production facility for tilapia, which features nine tanks and a recirculation aquatic system that prevents harmful wastes from damaging surrounding areas.

Ogo said with more local production of crops, livestock, and seafood, among others, the demand for importation of goods would be lessened, resulting in “money spent” circulating within the Commonwealth.

“The other good thing is that now, because we are an import society, money leaves the CNMI, but if we produce our own shrimp, tilapia, seafood, livestock, and vegetables, and we become self-reliant and self-dependant, then the money remains in the CNMI and circulates in the CNMI. That’s the whole idea that we at CREES are trying to promote—to help the economy in that way and to be insured of a food supply,” he said. “We are looking at the bigger picture.”

Ogo said technology, although invented and refined elsewhere, is being brought in to benefit the Commonwealth.

“Technology like this [re-circulation aquatic system] was invented and refined elsewhere, but we brought it here,” he said. “If its applicable, why not use it, right.”

Ogo said the system is currently being used by several farmers on Saipan, Tinian, and Rota.

“We heard of and saw this from the U.S. Virgin Islands. We have the same type of factors—both being islands and U.S. jurisdictions. It was brought to Saipan, and we’re now applying it, and now this is the fruit.”

“It’s a new concept and people are slow in adapting it,” he said. “We’re promoting the concept, and at the end of the day, everybody benefits.”