Agri losses from Chaba reach over $500K

Locally produced fruits and vegetables will not be available in the market in the next two weeks at least, as the agricultural sector has yet to fully recover from the onslaught of Supertyphoon Chaba.

According to the Division of Agriculture, crop damage caused by Chaba has reached $503,853 as of last Friday. This estimate was based on a survey of 58 commercial and subsistence farms on Saipan.

Isidoro Cabrera, an agricultural consultant for the Northern Marianas College Cooperative Research, Extension and Education Service, said more farm owners have been calling to report their losses or request a survey of their property.

Cabrera added that the crop damage could reach $600,000, which is 22 percent greater than the losses resulting from Typhoon Tingting in the last week of June.

The Agriculture Division earlier reported that Tingting caused a total crop damage of $490,377 to 67 farms on Saipan.

“The agricultural sector was just recovering from the impact of Typhoon Tingting when Chaba came. The few banana trees that had been left standing were completely wiped out by Chaba,” Cabrera noted.

Farmers started planting after Chaba, which hit the Northern Marianas a month ago. But Cabrera said the fruits of their labor will not be realized until three to four weeks from now, as local vegetables take six to eight weeks before they become ready for harvest.

“The farmers are really suffering right now. Most of them don’t have money to start all over again. As you know, agricultural damage is not covered by the FEMA assistance program,” Cabrera said.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency provides public assistance in the form of supplemental federal grants for repair, replacement, or restoration of disaster-damaged facilities owned by the government or certain non-profit organizations. FEMA also provides individual assistance for housing, medical, dental, funeral, transportation and other disaster-related needs.

The Farm Service Agency and the Small Business Administration offer low interest loans to eligible individuals, farmers and businesses to repair or replace damaged property and personal belongings not covered by insurance.

Cabrera said there is now a pending measure in the House of Representatives to grant assistance to farmers affected by the typhoon.

Introduced by Rep. Jesus Attao, the bill would appropriate about $100,000 in local funds for the purchase of seeds, fertilizers, and other agricultural supplies to help farmers get back on their feet, Cabrera said.