By Emmanuel T. Erediano
Variety News Staff

FARMERS and representatives of government agencies discussed farming concerns during a meeting at the Kagman Community Center on Tuesday.
About half of the 100 farmers and ranchers on Saipan attended the first annual meeting this year, according to agriculture consultant Isidoro T. Cabrera of Northern Marianas College’s Cooperative Research, Extension and Education Service.
Department of Land and Natural Resources Secretary Ignacio Dela Cruz and Agriculture Division Director Donald Flores conducted the meeting which dealt with several concerns raised by the participants.
Among the main concerns was the problem of the supply of water for farm lots. The farmers and ranchers complained that they were not getting enough water for irrigation.
Cabrera, who also chairs the Soil and Water Conservation District, said there are five deep wells supplying water to the commercial farm lots and farmers are supposed to pay a water rate of $25 per month.
But the collection of fees has not been enforced for almost three years because the farmers are not able to get enough water for their crops.
Cabrera said wells for irrigation are functioning, and there could either be leaks in their water pipes or illegal connections.
He said that while they are going to investigate the problem they are also working on some amendments to the regulations for the possible reduction of the water rate to $10.
Some of the farmers complained that the $15 fee for renting agricultural equipment, like tractors, is “too high.”
They asked the agriculture director if the rate could be reduced.
The Division of Environmental Quality, for its part, informed farmers of the regulations on the use of pesticides.
DEQ’s Carlos Ketepengang reminded the farmers that they are allowed to use only the pesticides authorized by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Cabrera said there are two kinds of pesticides that can be bought in the CNMI – those that are restricted and those that are sold over the counter.
He said 25 percent of farmers on Saipan use restricted pesticides.
A license is required for the use of restricted pesticides, he added. And the farmer also has to attend a seminar and pass an examination.
Cabrera said the farmers were warned about smuggled pesticides on island.
There were recent cases when customs authorities caught some people trying to sneak in unfamiliar pesticides from China, he added.
The Division of Agriculture reminded farmers to pay their lot fees of 2 cents per square meter to the Department of Public Lands.
Perhaps due to the bad economy, Cabrera said, many farmers are not able to pay their fees on time.
The problem of rodents was also raised and the agriculture division said it was considering a plan to get rid of waste materials dumped near commercial farm lots.
Cabrera said trash can turn into a breeding ground for rodents that also feast on crops.
He said the agriculture director, Flores, discussed a project involving the installation of an electric fence for rodent control.
A federal grant of $25,000 was made available for this project, and Flores said they are now in the process of procuring materials for it.
He said they have already identified about seven farms for a demonstration.