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Over $500K in crop damage from Tingting
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Posted on Jul 20 2004
The total cost of damage sustained by local farms due to Typhoon Tingting reached over $500,000, according to the final report issued by the Division of Agriculture and the Northern Marianas College-Cooperative Research Extension and Education Service.
According to NMC-CREES agricultural consultant Isidoro T. Cabrera, the survey was conducted on 98 percent of farm plots on Saipan. Damages totaled $518,000.
Cabrera said the survey, which was conducted beginning June 30 and lasted some three weeks, featured information based on 73 active commercial farmers on Saipan. He said only 2 percent of the island’s farmers were missed.
Cabrera said the House had expressed desire to appropriate funds to assist the farmers, and was only awaiting the precise total cost of the damage before moving forward with the assistance.
Earlier, Cabrera said damage was not only due to the strong winds but the floods as well. He noted that another factor that contributed to the loss of vegetable crops was “salt spray.” He said the strong winds sprayed salty ocean water on some farm plots.
Among the vegetable crops that were destroyed include tomato, eggplant, bitter gourd, cabbage, green onion and okra, he said.
Three members of NMC-CREES teamed up with four employees of the DOA in conducting the actual farm-to-farm survey around the island.
