Farmers need technical help

Farmers in the CNMI need technical assistance to be able to produce quality fruits and vegetables that can be sold to hotels on the island, according to Patrick M. Calvo, chairman of Saipan & Northern Islands Soil & Water Conservation District.

Currently, lack the needed scientific tools to help determine the nutrients lacking in the soil and the right type of fertilizer to use as local producers are only relying on their limited farming knowledge.

Calvo said the technical assistance will help local producers improve their production of watermelons, cantaloupes and honeydew melon. Once the farmers get the right technical assistance, they will be able to maximize production and sell better quality products.

With unreliability of supply, many restaurants, hotels and supermarkets still order vegetables from the U.S. mainland. One-half to two-thirds of all fresh fruits and vegetables consumed on the island of Saipan are imported.

“Many local producers right now just take their chances in planting crops without taking into consideration various factors,” said Calvo. Local producers must also concentrate on crops that are grown on short seasons with limited water supply.

Since farming are done in a scientific manner in the United States, Calvo said most of their produce are cheaper compared to some locally grown fruits and vegetables due to the high cost of production here.

“If there is a shift in government support by at least giving farming more assistance, then we can produce better for the local market,” he said. In an island economy that depends on tourism, it is not surprising for agriculture to take a back seat even if the CNMI government has professed a policy of expanded commercial agriculture and self-sufficiency in crops that can be economically grown here.

Flooding and inadequate water supply has been a perennial problem in the 340-acres of publicly and privately-owned cropland in the Kagman area. The Department of Lands and Natural Resources, which operates the 220-acre Kagman Commercial Farm Plots and the SWCD have sought to resolve these problems.

Most of the farms now are connected to the Kagman Watershed Areas through the pipelines installed. He said a big tank on top of the hill will be constructed to pump in the needed water in the farms.

The installation of a system of waterways for flood protection and for water collection and a water reservoir and an irrigation water distribution system are contained in a multi-purpose plan for Kagman Watershed on the island.