The CNMI as a food basket and our next big industry

Agriculture can be our next big industry. We have the fertile land and the knowledge to produce tons of fruits and vegetables monthly. We have a neighbor, Guam, that needs all that we can grow. Our acres of diamonds are right here under our feet. This opportunity did not just come along—it was here all the time—we just didn’t see it. Our eyes keep scanning the horizon looking for an industry to save us. We can become the food basket and be economically prosperous!

Ladies and gentlemen: Agriculture is our next biggest industry.

The next time we load our shopping cart with meat and bags of produce during our regular grocery store visit, let’s consider where these items come from. Not many of us do, but we should. There was a point in time when everything we purchased was fresh from the local farm. Farmers brought fresh fruits, vegetables and eggs to market. The neighborhood butchers would work with local farmers to provide the best cuts of meat for us. Unfortunately, that is no longer the case. Agriculture seems to have fallen out of favor as a business. But the need for food has not.

While we run around like a chicken with its head cut off seeking casinos, more hotels, more government handouts, we neglect what possibly is the biggest jackpot right under our feet and in our backyard—agriculture! Believe it or not! The CNMI can become a major producer of food for Guam and other countries.

The CNMI has so much fertile land that can produce bountiful produce and vegetables to supply not only ourselves but also export the surplus to Guam. Presently Guam has fewer farms than we in the CNMI have. Did you know that there are 150 percent more farms in the CNMI than Guam? While farm sales in the CNMI increased by 5 percent, Guam farm sales dropped by 34 percent.

Today Guam imports over $4,423,674 of food monthly for a yearly total of a staggering $53,084,740 annually. How much does Guam import from the CNMI? Almost zero! Why is this? Why do we fail to see and seize the opportunity that awaits us?

Imaging if we capture only 20 percent of that market. This would mean $847,348 monthly or about $10,616,976.00 annually imported dollars! Think of all the benefits and employment that would give us.

With all the new farming technology, we could grow twice the amount of food that we used to grow for the military years ago. I recall Don Farrell’s statement in his book that As Lito alone was producing about 200,000 pounds of fruits and vegetables monthly! And Tinian was producing also 200,000 pound of fruits and vegetables monthly also. With our modern technology we can easily grow twice that amount in the same plot of land.

Today Guam has over 183,000 residents, over 1,200,000 tourists and a growing military population. This is a huge market waiting for us! We should be cultivating it. And best of all: our fruits and produce will be fresher and better than that imported from the United States after riding over the ocean for several weeks! What are we waiting for?

A stable agriculture industry ensures a country of food security. Food security is considered to be one of the primary requirements of any nation. We cannot become strong with hungry and unemployed people. A country is usually considered a socially and politically stable nation if it possesses a very stable agricultural basis. As Guam continues to offer her land for military bases, we must offer our food to feed the influx of personnel. We can complement each other.

Most countries depend upon agricultural products and related industries for their major source of income. Why can’t we consider farming as an industry and cultivate it so that it becomes a major one? Do we need to make or assemble parts of a machine to consider that work an industry? Farming should be considered an industry also.

Aside from the crops and animals that are produced by the farmers who make up the country’s agricultural sector, it also represents the main source of employment within most countries. In addition, when agricultural products are bountifully grown, related value-added industries spring up as processing plants. As a result these sub-industries employ considerable manpower within their operations.

Some countries have become famous for certain individual plants they grow. As a result millions of dollars flow into these countries annually. For example, the rubber trees and oil palms in Malaysia produce millions of dollars in revenue from its export. In Bangladesh, the jute plant in the main source of wealth.

Invariably in many countries there is at least one plant that makes a great contribution to the economy of the country. For example, I know that we have many excellent herbs for medicinal purposes. Perhaps we can grow them for export as many other countries do. These herbs have proven their value. It is up to us to sell them to help us.

Our farmers can be the leaders in organic farming products. In the United States farming has been impacted by large-scale factory farming. These factory farms sometimes destroy the land and compromise the overall safety of our food supply by using pesticides and antibiotics to speed up the growth of our food. We can set up sustainable farming where we strive to preserve the environment to protect the land. Sustainable farmers also believe in treating animals humanely. Sustainable farming strives to keep contaminants from entering our water supply by employing strategies that use less chemicals and fertilizers. They also strive to keep our water supply clean and safe.

The CNMI is not a country for factories or even assembly of parts. We have miles of beautiful landscape and a clean blue ocean bountiful with fish. We want tourists to visit and see the pristine beauty we possess. We must preserve that and use the land with its fertility to grow food for us and others.

Herein lies the future and beauty of the CNMI. We have the seeds for economic prosperity. Now if we would just plant them and reap the harvest. In our acres of farmland lie our diamonds. I hope we have not gotten too lazy to bend over and cultivate them. Lades and gentlemen, let us pick up our plows and tend to the land that will feed us better than most other activities. Let us not neglect the past that was. Down the recent years we have been misled. It is time now to return to our true selves. The land awaits and beckons.

One day a farmer was out in his fields harvesting his crop when a pastor rode by. Seeing the bountiful farm and the farmer working in his fields, the pastor stopped to chat. “God has been good to you. You have a beautiful farm,” said the pastor. The farmer stopped his work, wiped his brow, turned to the pastor, and said,” Thank you, sir, but you should have seen what the farm looked like when God gave it to me.”

To repeat myself: Agriculture can be our next big industry!