The Department of Land and Natural Resources began assessing the damage to the islands\u2019 crops yesterday after the CNMI was hit with two tropical cyclones in two succeeding weekends.<\/p>\n
According to DLNR Division of Agriculture director Manuel Tenorio, they will go around and assess the damage caused by Tropical Storm Chan-Hom and Typhoon Nangka on local crops.<\/p>\n
Saipan and Northern Islands Agricultural Fair Association president and Northern Marianas College Cooperative Research, Extension and Education\u2019s Michael Ogo said he had heard reports of crop damage from some farmers due to the typhoon.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere were reports of damage by farmers like their bananas and other crops, you know, eggplants and all those vegetables,\u201d Ogo said.<\/p>\n
He expects 20 to 30 percent damage because of the typhoon that moved very close to Saipan.<\/p>\n
One farmer who experienced damage to his corn crops was Crispin Guerrero.<\/p>\n
\u201cCorn is very fragile. The amount of wind and rain\u2014they knocked out my corn,\u201d Guerrero said.<\/p>\n
Guerrero said the first time his corn was knocked down, he tried to bring them back up but they got knocked out again when another typhoon hit.<\/p>\n
\u201cI tried but it\u2019s not the same, it won\u2019t be the same,\u201d Guerrero said when asked if he\u2019ll try to revive the damaged corns a third time.<\/p>\n
Isidoro Cabrera, who has a hydroponic farm, also suffered some damage. He said he assessed a loss of 25 percent as his lettuces were damaged because of Nangka\u2019s strong winds.<\/p>\n
Cabrera said some of his banana trees were also toppled.<\/p>\n
DLNR Secretary Richard Seman is also concerned about the effects of excess water on the crops.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe typhoon was not as bad as other typhoons but the water, the excess of water, is probably the one that impacts them the most,\u201d Seman said.<\/p>\n
\u201cRight now they are at a stage where they are transitioning the harvest and the new planting so that might have been a good timing for this weather,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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