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‘Farmers play a part in irrigation problem’
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Posted on Feb 20 2006
In some ways, local farmers carry part of the blame for the current water problem in the irrigation system of at least 30 commercial farm plots at the Kagman area.
Division of Agriculture director Donald Flores said that, apart from the persistent dry season in the Pacific, the shortage of water to irrigate these farm plots could also be attributed to farmers who do not follow the right schedule of pumping water to their farms.
He was quick to add, though, that he is not directly blaming the farmers for this dilemma facing the agriculture industry in the Commonwealth.
Flores said that problems in the CNMI’s irrigation system have been determined already and one of them is that farmers sometimes do not follow the schedule of the irrigation system.
Supposedly, the upper and lower farm lands share the irrigation system through alternating day everyday.
“Farmers are just not following the schedule,” he said, adding that his office is always on patrol to alleviate this problem with water scheduling.
He urged local farmers not to tamper with the water schedule and to practice equal sharing so that all would benefit from the available water.
Northern Marianas College Cooperative Research Extension and Education Services agriculture consultant Isidoro Cabrera said the extension office and the Agriculture Division are working closely to identify the root causes of the water problem.
Cabrera said they also do not discount rumors within the farming community that there has been illegal tapping of water in these farm areas. He added that problems could also arise at the source of the water or in transit to the farm plots in Kagman area.
He said there could also be a leak in the system that’s been causing the water shortage. “Farmers have been complaining about the problem recently, especially with the dry season is here,” Cabrera said.
Both CREES and the division have sought the assistance of the CNMI Water Task Force to check and mitigate this problem in the agriculture industry.
Cabrera said that, if the problem persists in the coming days and months, the local agriculture industry would be hard put to produce an excellent crop of fruits and vegetable crops.
