USDA team assesses NMI’s agri losses

U.S. Department of Agriculture representatives from Guam and Hawaii arrived yesterday in the Commonwealth to conduct damage assessment on the islands’ agriculture sector—one of the sectors severely battered by typhoon Tingting.

The team comes from the USDA’s Farm Service Agency, which has programs that help reduce farmers’ losses caused by disasters.

This developed as USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service’s J. Scott Crockett disclosed that farmers could receive free technical assistance and financial assistance to mitigate potential agricultural losses from his agency.

Crockett, the Service’s district conservationist, said the USDA could help farmers by funding projects that would mitigate the impact of flood, soil erosion and other agricultural problems.

Crockett also expressed skepticism over an agricultural loss estimate by a CNMI representative in connection with the Tingting disaster.

Isidoro Cabrera, agricultural consultant to the Northern Marianas College’s Cooperative Research, Education and Extension Service, earlier said the typhoon totally destroyed Saipan’s vegetable crops, which include tomato, eggplant, bitter gourd, cabbage, green onion, and okra.

He said the typhoon damaged up to 60 percent of Saipan’s root crops, including taro and sweet potato. The typhoon also destroyed about 90 percent of the island’s bananas.

Cabrera, who is among those assisting the CNMI Department of Lands and Natural Resources in conducting damage assessment, projected that Saipan’s agricultural losses alone—excluding livestock losses—could reach up to $800,000.

Crockett said that, although the FSA team has yet to complete its assessment, damage to the island’s vegetable crops could possibly reach 60 percent.

He said that, while some of the USDA’s farmer clients suffered total loss, others remain with marketable crops despite the wrath of Tingting, which brought record-breaking rainfall.

“There is no doubt that Typhoon Tingting wrecked havoc on CNMI farmers and that many have suffered greatly; however, inflating damage numbers won’t lessen their suffering. Saipan’s farmers need assistance in improving markets, access to sustainable technology, and more dependable water resources, so that some day a million dollar year will be possible,” Crockett said.

“On a good year, when the agricultural sector is booming, Saipan farmers would be hard pressed to generate a million dollars in sales. Despite the ease with which agencies toss around large dollar figures, a million dollars is still a whole lot of money,” he said.

Crockett urged local farmers to contact the FSA office on Guam at 671-472-7568 to learn how they could reduce their agricultural losses. He also urged farmers to contact his Saipan office at 670-236-0888 for free technical assistance and financial assistance on mitigation projects.

Rehabilitation and cleanup efforts was in full swing yesterday amid fair weather through the afternoon, despite earlier weather forecast that Saipan would experience rainfall.

However, the National Weather Service said in the afternoon that the island would experience isolated showers last night through Friday next week.

The Emergency Management Office advised beach goers and small sea vessels of high surf, but said the surf might decrease below hazardous levels today.