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Saipan delegation asks USDA to help eradicate rats
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Posted on Dec 15 2004
The Saipan and Northern Islands Legislative Delegation asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture yesterday for immediate assistance to stop the rat infestation in the CNMI.
The delegation passed Resolution No. 14-8, authored by Rep. Martin B. Ada.
The measure said that the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands is plagued with rat infestation, resulting in local farmers to consistently lose part of their harvest and crops.
This loss, the resolution said, “translates to a loss for the local economy.”
Further, it said that the rat infestation not only plagues farmers but also poses health, safety, and welfare risks to the public.
“The CNMI lacks the essential funds, knowledge, and expertise necessary to implement eradication and control measures of the rat infestation,” said the resolution.
Local farmers at Kagman Commercial Farm Plot earlier appealed to the government for assistance in controlling the problem.
Agriculture consultant Isidoro T. Cabrera said rats in the area have destroyed about 30-50 percent of saleable crops.
Agriculturalist Ben Borja of the Division of Agriculture has advised other farmers to keep their farms and surrounding areas properly sanitized to minimize the problem.
Borja said that poison and rattraps could be used.
He said, though, that chemical use should be the last resort as it may cause a chain reaction that would, in turn, affect other animals as well as the surrounding community.
Borja said addressing the problem should involve a collaborative effort between the Agriculture Division, Department of Public Health, as well as schools.
Meantime, copies of the local resolution will be sent to Gov. Juan N. Babauta, USDA secretary Ann Veneman, Insular Affairs deputy assistant secretary David B. Cohen, and Washington Rep. Pete A. Tenorio.
