Farmers, fishermen plead against cancellation of the Garapan market project

Farmers and Fishermen are circulating a petition asking Gov. Benigno R. Fitial and the Secretary of the Department of Lands and Natural Resources to reconsider their decision to cancel the public market and the proposed children’s park project at the Fishing Base in Garapan.

The public market project also includes the construction of a state-of-the-art marina with slips, a fuel facility and ice at the north side of the Fishing Base adjacent to the finger pier and boat ramp.

The farmers and fishermen said that they have worked for years toward establishing a permanent and modern facility to market their freshly caught fish, fruit, vegetables, eggs, pork, beef and locally made handicrafts. They said the Fishing Base site, right across the street from Kristo Rai Church, is ideal because of its central location and its rich history.

The Garapan Fishing Base area is an historic site as it was a commercial port of Saipan prior to World War II and currently a vital facility for local fishermen. Every weekend over 150 fishermen with boats and trailers launch their boats at the ramp at Fishing Base and go to sea to fish for their families. The Fishing Base is the only site on the island of Saipan with a boat ramp and sufficient space to park numerous pickups and their attached boat trailers.

“Neither American Memorial Park nor Sugar Dock have the requisite parking that the Fishing Base has for over 60 years provided for fishermen,” the group said.

The farmers and fishermen argue that the importance of promoting locally grown produce and products can never be overstated.

“From an economic standpoint, the public market constitutes a major policy shift toward recognizing the importance of developing a sustainable industry in agriculture, fishing and value-added locally made products and stimulating entrepreneurial interest in ventures in these areas of commerce,” they said. “From a social and health perspective, the public market will provide a centrally located modern facility in which consumers will have the opportunity to select from several vendors a wide variety of fresh fruits, vegetables, seafood, pork, poultry and beef products that are locally grown, marketed and filleted to the customer’s specifications. The provision of a centrally located public market with a wide variety of fresh fruit and vegetables is especially important as our community battles diabetes and other illness preventable with a healthy diet and regular exercise.”

The farmers and fishermen are also lobbying for the children’s park adjacent to the public market “because children are important, too.”

“They need green space where they can play,” they said.

The fishermen see the changing landscape of Saipan, which, at night, is a sea of urban lights rimming the lagoon. The farmers and fishermen said they fully support healthy exercise and reserving green space where children can play while their parents purchase locally grown fruit, vegetables, fresh seafood and other locally grown products.

The farmers and fishermen note that the project designs in phases are complete and funds for the construction of the public market are available.

“The only remaining step is for the governor to reconsider [the cancellation] the Public Market Project and the Children’s Park. The farmers and fishermen respectfully request reconsideration,” they said in their petition. (PR)