Just by strolling down the local farmers\u2019 market and purchasing local produce, you could check off two good deeds on your list: eating healthy and supporting your local farmers.<\/p>\n
Now there is a third good deed to keep in mind, to ensure the vegetables and fruits you are buying are safe from potentially harmful pesticides.<\/p>\n
The Department of Lands and Natural Resources, Bureau of Environmental and Coastal Quality, and Bureau of Environmental Health have begun their initiative to test locally grown produce on Saipan, Tinian, and Rota for the purpose of instilling consumer confidence in locally grown produce and promoting the consumption of fruits and vegetables.<\/p>\n
The initiative is known as \u201cEating Healthy is Living Healthy\u201d and its main purpose is to educate vendors and consumers about the safe use of pesticides in local produce.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A team of key staff members has been trained to conduct the test for chemical or pesticide residue on fruits and vegetables by using an onsite field test kit.<\/p>\n
Pesticides and herbicides are intended to impair the reproductive system, breathing, and brain functions of pests and insects and unregulated exposure could be harmful to people, especially children and infants.<\/p>\n
The onsite test will provide a quick response to confirm or eliminate the presence of chemicals or pesticides on the tested produce.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis test is strictly a fact-finding endeavor to identify the current pesticide usage and pesticide residue level. The focus and intent is to raise awareness about the safe use of pesticides in local agriculture,\u201d said BECQ pesticide manager Reina Camacho.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur local vendors have been cooperating in these field tests and the goals of this initiative are to assure the community that locally grown fruits and vegetables are safe commodities, promote the sales of participating vendors, and to foster a healthier CNMI,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The local farms tested so far are Acho\u2019s Gualo, 3J\u2019s Enterprises,William Ada Farm, Greg Calvo\u2019s Farm, Saipan Farm & Garden, Rose\u2019s Farm, Greenlife Local Fresh Produce, Camia Garden, R\/D Enterprises, Guerrero\u2019s Farm Produce, Jess Multi-Farms, KET\/Roberto Farm, Lizama Farm, Y.A.S. Farm, and Frank Castro Farm.<\/p>\n
The results from tests are kept confidential and no enforcement actions will be taken regarding the outcome of the residue test.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf there is no residue on three sample crops on three separate occasions, the team shall advertise the farm\/business as being pesticide free. The advertisement will appear in the newspaper and on the radio,\u201d said Camacho.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf there is residue, the farm\/business will be asked to take a pesticide handling course,\u201d she noted.<\/p>\n
For more information on the \u201cEating Healthy is Living Healthy\u201d campaign, call 664-8500 or visit http:\/\/www.deq.gov.mp\/sec.asp?secID=38 under Special Project: Pesticide Residue Testing. (BECQ)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Just by strolling down the local farmers\u2019 market and purchasing local produce, you could check…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[880,56,186,492],"class_list":["post-42285","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-local-news","tag-becq","tag-business-3","tag-initiative","tag-test"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42285","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42285"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42285\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42285"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42285"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42285"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}