By Emmanuel T. Erediano
Variety News Staff

KAGMAN farmers are asking the cash-strapped government to fund the replacement of two irrigation pumps that are no longer working.
Agriculture consultant Isidoro T. Cabrera said in an interview on Saturday that the farmers in Kagman are losing a considerable portion of their produce and are seeking the help of the Legislature, which is also being pressed to find funding for the government’s other agencies and programs.
Cabrera said Rep. Candido B. Taman, R-Saipan, is now working on an appropriation measure of $6,000 to $7,000 for the replacement of the two water pumps.
The 80 hectares of commercial farm land in Kagman provide farmers there with some $500,000 in annual income.
The irrigation pipelines, however, do not provide enough water to the commercial farm plots because only three of the five water pumps are working, according to Cabrera.
The problem is further aggravated by the unusual dry season this year.
Farmers are urging the completion of the $2.3 million federally funded watershed project that includes a construction of a water reservoir.
In February, the water control structure and box culvert for the agricultural water supply and flood control was completed and turned over to the Soil and Water Conservation District.
The second phase of the project involves the flood control component of the project which includes large reinforced concrete box culverts and the water control structures.
An insufficient water supply remains a problem because the final phases of the project have yet to be completed. “We are still waiting for phase 4 that will start as soon as the U.S. Congress makes the appropriation,” Cabrera said.