More funds sought for Kagman watershed, Garapan market

[B]By GREGORIO C. SABLAN[/B] [I]Special to the Saipan Tribune[/I] [I]Editor’s Note: The following is the text of the statement that CNMI Rep. Gregorio “Kilili” C. Sablan delivered as testimony before the Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food And Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Committee on Appropriations on April 22, 2009[/I]

I come here today to join Ms. Bordallo, and on behalf of our colleagues from the territories, to highlight our joint requests for appropriations by the Committee for the resident instruction, facilities and equipment, and distance education grants programs that are authorized by the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 for the land grant institutions located in the territories. These programs are generally referred to as the “insular programs,” and are an important means through which the United States Department of Agriculture can help address the unique and growing needs of this set of underserved, underdeveloped, minority-serving institutions. Each of these institutions are accredited American schools with programs and majors established in the agricultural, food and animal sciences. I want to echo the sentiments expressed by my colleague from Guam and in particular this morning provide you with a general overview of the nature and state of farming in the islands, in addition to focusing on the facilities and equipment program request.

Before turning to these land grant program requests, however, I also want to speak to two of my priority project requests: the Kagman Watershed and Garapan Public Market.

Since 1993—almost 16 years—the Natural Resources Conservation Services has been working on the Kagman Watershed Project on the island of Saipan in the Northern Mariana Islands. The watershed project is authorized for federal assistance under the Watershed Protection and Flood Protection Act (P.L. 83-566) and is administered by the NRCS under an agreement signed on Nov. 4, 1993.

The purpose of the project is to reduce flooding of agricultural land and public roads by collecting runoff from the mountainside above the Kagman peninsula. The water is to be collected in a reservoir and then distributed to farmers on the peninsula for irrigation. The 3,750 acre Kagman peninsula has what has been described by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as the richest agriculture soils in the Marianas, reaching a depth of 16 feet.

The area is intensely farmed for vegetables. When completed, the project will increase Saipan’s production of these crops, which are otherwise imported, control flooding of agricultural lands, lessen agricultural demands for water from ground aquifers, and decrease flooding on main roads. But the project has dragged on for years, moving by fits and starts as funds are available. It’s time to finish what the federal government began in 1993. The money I am requesting will allow the project to move forward with construction of 70 million gallon reservoir, a sediment basin, pumps, and transfer pipelines—finally getting water to the farmers who need it.

In addition, I am requesting funds for the Garapan Public Market. Here in Washington, DC, there is the Eastern Market. In many other states, neighborhood markets become an important part of that community for various reasons including commerce. However, Saipan is lacking a centralized public market that can provide fresh produce and seafood to the community. There are a great number of commercial fishermen and commercial farmers on island, but there is no centralized facility that can accommodate the two industries. This market will provide essential infrastructure, such as permanent building facility with running water and electricity that can allow farmers and fishermen to provide freshly-made and prepared food on a daily basis. Perhaps it can evolve into something as wonderful as the Eastern Market that includes art and crafts displays.

The public market will greatly enhance the sales and marketing of all participating farmers and fishermen and it will also provide the community a reliable and dependable source of fresh produce and seafood. The design and engineering of the proposed building structure has already been completed and only the construction and equipment installation phases will need funding.

Apart from this project request, is the three program requests I referenced at the start of my testimony. Our land grant institutions in the territories specialize in tropical and subtropical agriculture research and instruction, including in the areas of aquaculture and food and nutrition. Agriculture has remained a stable sector of our economies in the islands for decades and farming is a traditional part of our cultures. There is subsistence farming and a growing export market, especially with respect to specialty crops. Today, our farmers in the islands are harvesting many traditional and tropical fruits, nuts, and horticultural specialties. Among these are avocados, bananas, beans, betel nuts, breadfruits, coconuts, cucumbers, grapefruit, guavas, limes and lemons, mangoes, oranges, papayas, peppers, pineapples, squash, sweetsops, tangerines, tomatoes, and watermelons, and several others. There are also ongoing efforts to develop a market for shrimp and tilapia aquaculture as Ms. Bordallo mentioned.

Overall, our farmers are increasingly focused on food safety and in advancing the competitiveness of their products and access into the local and federal marketplace on our islands. In the Marianas, our farmers are working to gain a stronger foothold in supplying the school lunch and breakfast programs, the commissaries and exchanges, and the fleet of Naval and military prepositioned vessels that make port calls on Guam and in Saipan. There are also local farmers markets and the hotels and restaurants to supply that are the foundation of our tourism industry. In this regard, strengthening the extension component of our land grant institutions is critical.

While our institutions have only been a part of the land grant college system since 1972, they must compete with larger, more resourced 1862 institutions in competing for limited national programs. The farm bill authorized programs for which we have requested appropriations and that are targeted to the territorial or insular institutions are meant to provide a means by which our unique needs can be addressed. They are designed to be competitive, and are structured as similar support mechanisms that are already provided to the 1890 Historically Black Colleges and Universities, the Hispanic-Serving Institutions, and the 1994 Tribal Colleges. Our institutions in the territories have similar needs, particularly with respect to facilities and equipment. Our laboratories are in disrepair and the equipment being used by professors and students is outdated. Each of our institutions have identified a top priority infrastructure need if the facilities and equipment program were to receive appropriations, as we have requested, in fiscal year 2010.

The Northern Marianas College has identified a need of $850,000 to upgrade its aquaculture research and demonstration facility and community kitchen. Plans for this facility are to host production methods for tilapia, grouper and abalone, and its current operations are limited. American Samoa Community College is in need of $700,000 to support its $1.8 million construction of a planned nutrition, exercise and community wellness research center, and the University of the Virgin Islands is in need of replacing its farm equipment at its experiment research stations. The University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez is in need of at least $950,000 to rebuild its classroom facility which was constructed in 1952.

Maintaining equipment and constructing facilities in the islands is especially expensive due to the cost of shipping materials and accounting for climate considerations. Materials can corrode more quickly and easily under harsh conditions and the seawater oxidization processes. Building codes are also stringent to withstand earthquakes and typhoons.

It is for these reasons that we hope this Subcommittee will act favorably upon our requests and not only include and increase an appropriation this year for the resident instruction grants program, but also commit seed money, if not at the fully authorized level of $8 million, at some amount to begin the facilities and equipment grants program. We know the 1890 and 1994 communities have specific programs to address their infrastructure and equipment needs. These programs are working successfully for those sets of institutions; however, we hope the disproportionate levels of funding historically received by the institutions in the territories could begin to be addressed through appropriations to the three programs we have addressed in our testimonies today.

We recognize you have a challenging process to manage, and we are grateful for your time and attention. Thank you for your consideration of our requests.