Betel nut theft

As a former long-time resident of Tinian, I have witnessed a lot of events in the betel nut industry. Theft is not new and has been an ongoing problem for many years; it’s just that now the problem seems to be on steroids and the “acceptable” losses of years past are no longer tolerable. As Mr. Isidoro Cabrera stated, the betel nut industry in the CNMI can be a very profitable agricultural industry—IF the trees are managed properly. It is extremely unfortunate that cultural practices on existing farms are generally not conducive to high yields. Better production and healthier trees have actually been problematic on Saipan or Tinian due especially to current practices along with pressure from insects, diseases and even thieves.

Part of that problem has been the lack of skilled professional involvement with farmers in order to modify certain cultural practices that remain detrimental to good betel nut production and a reticence on the part of many farmers to yield traditional culture to more scientific methods. NMC-CREES has tried by offering educational programs and outreach systems, but these are rarely followed once CREES’ representatives leave the farm. I speak from first-hand experience. During my time on Tinian, I was called upon many times by farmers who asked for advice from my experience as a horticulturist. I supplied specialty fertilizers at nominal cost and gave advice freely. But when a farmer was told he should cut down half his trees, the advice suddenly became untenable even though research had shown that this alone could result in a 200 percent increase in a particular fields’ production (with half the trees).

Until Mr. Cabrera and NMC-CREES can convince farmers of better cultural methods, insect and disease control methods and security from theft methods, there will be little increase in production or profitability for these farmers. I have witnessed most betel nut trees on Tinian and Saipan are not producing anywhere near the 200-plus nuts per bunch that is the accepted norm in other more advanced production regions.

One more thing: Mr. Cabrera’s production sales figures given were quite misleading—unless the reporter made an error. He states (correctly) that a betel nut tree can produce 5 or 6 bunches a year (more like 4 on Saipan and Tinian) and that each bunch can bring in up to $75, assuming he is referring to the “typical” bunch produced on Saipan, which is actually far smaller than a “typical” bunch in other areas of the world. At this rate, a healthy tree will produce about $375 per year and 20 trees would bring in about $7,500 per year. In actuality, 20 trees on Saipan or Tinian currently result in a yearly income of about $4,000—at best. Even with the best cultural practices and the healthiest trees the $100,000 per month quoted by Mr. Cabrera is completely unreasonable and I find it hard to believe the figure was quoted correctly. He further states that $400 to $500 worth of betel nuts is stolen “each time.” Perhaps so, but at that rate, a thief would have to steal at least six bunches per raid. However, his point is well taken: We must find a way to not only deter theft but to also change the way farmers cultivate this valuable crop.