4-6 more mos. to ascertain health of betel nut industry’

Although more than 6,500 betel nut trees have been saved from the dreaded bud rot disease, it would take another four to six months before the campaign against Pytophthora Meadii could be declared a success or not.

Northern Marianas College-Cooperative Research Education and Extension Service agricultural consultant Isidoro T. Cabrera said they still could not ascertain the health of Saipan’s betel nut industry and it may be until April or June before they could come out with their findings.

He said the campaign against bud rot, which entails the injection of the fungicide Fosphite directly to trees infected by the disease, started only last month and that “it’s too early to tell.”

Cabrera, however, said he remains positive about the campaign. He said based on what had happened on Guam last year—when the same disease attacked the territory’s betel nut plantations—the island also did the same treatment and the production of betel nut improved tremendously.

Betel nut growers on Saipan reportedly have lost an estimated $2.25 million during the first quarter of this year, when 30 percent of about 100,000 betel nut trees on the island died from the bud rot disease.

Cabrera earlier said the government would have lost 4 percent, or $90,000, of its gross revenue from the farmers if the problem persisted. Cabrera said there are over 100,000 betel nut trees on Saipan alone. Rota has 15,000 and Tinian about 10,000.

He said the agency has been very aggressive in stopping the further spread of the disease. NMC-CREES continuously injects the cure to more trees every week. He said more farmers have been cooperating with the agency to salvage what is left of their betel nut farms.

The consultant said so far the agency has enough supply of the chemicals that could cure several more trees in the next six months. He said, though, the recovery project for betel nut trees is not free of charge.

Cabrera said the agency is charging farmers 15 cents per injection per tree and the local farmers and betel nut growers have no problems about the fee. He said the reason for charging the farmers is for the sustenance of the project and for additional funds when supply of fungicides run out.

Affected betel nut trees include those in Dandan, Rapugao Hill, As Lito, As Mahetog, Capitol Hill, Donne, Kagman, Papago, Tanapag, San Vicente, Mt. Tapochao, and Gualo Rai.