Gov’t eyes market for local agricultural produce

The Commonwealth Development Authority and the Department of Lands and Natural Resources are laying the ground work for a program that would alleviate the problems faced by local farmers and fishers in marketing their produce.

CDA Executive Director Marylou S. Ada said a memorandum of understanding has been reached with DLNR to carry out a study that would help identify markets where local farmers and fishermen can sell their produce.

Under the agreement, CDA will provide technical assistance in the form of a financial grant for the natural resources department to execute a study on the potentials of big-scale agriculture in the Northern Marianas.

The study will be carried out in partnership with biology and agriculture experts from the University of Hawaii’s Small Business Center, according to Ms. Ada.

She mentioned a recent meeting held by local farmers and fishers when they raised concerns on the lack of available marketing outlets where their produce can be sold.

Commercial grocery stores, with the exception of few establishments, carry frozen agricultural produce like fish and vegetables that were imported from the mainland United States, Micronesia and Asia.

“The farmers and fishermen are concerned about available marketing outlet where they can sell their products. By addressing this problem, we are on the right track in terms of enhancing the agriculture sector in the CNMI,” Ms. Ada added.

She pointed out that local farmers and fishermen have intentionally veered away from large-scale businesses due to fears that there is not enough strategies that would help their produce penetrate the CNMI market.

Although CNMI witnessed a declining trend in the importation of fish products into the Northern Marianas since 1992, the commerce department disclosed that imports still comprise for more than half of total fish sold in the Northern Marianas each year.

In 1996 alone, a total of 846,686 pounds of fish products were sold in the CNMI with around 410,690 of which were imported from countries in Micronesia and Asia, and the mainland United States.

Ms. Ada stressed that the MOU was primarily signed to alleviate the worries by Northern Marianas farmers on the possibility that their harvests would only spoil should they begin producing more than their current yield.

“With the study, the don’t have to worry about producing much because they think that they don’t have anywhere to sell. We don’t want them to worry about that although we understand that they don’t want their harvest wasted,” she said.

Aside from spearheading the effort to identify markets for local agricultural produce, CDA is also providing farmers and fishermen with new techniques to preserve surplus products.

“We are also teaching them to be creative like preserving those that are not sold. There are some innovative ways where they can improve their farming and fishing techniques,” Ms. Ada aid.