Hong Kyun Kim believes that a “food factory” or an “agronomy center” will help increase CNMI agriculture’s share in the islands’ gross domestic product.
It will also improve the CNMI farmers’ economic well-being, he said.
Last week, the renovation of the former Winner garment factory started, said Kim who is investing $500,000 in the project.
In the near future, he added, “we plan to build a refrigeration warehouse and the target funding for this will be $300,000.”
Three weeks ago, Kim presented to Gov. Benigno R. Fitial his agriculture development plan for the agronomy center that will be located at the former Winner garment factory.
Kim wants to come up with more creative ideas that will help boost local agriculture, and he looks forward working with the CNMI government in carrying out its economic development plan.
“I envision that this plan will further evolve over time. I believe that agriculture should be one of the most important industries to be developed in the CNMI in order to support the people’s self-sufficiency,” Kim said.
Kim will not only focus on crops. His plan includes aquaculture, livestock and forestry.
He noted that on Saipan, the local farmers are trying their best to market their produce by putting up the Saturday market in Susupe, which has been expanded to the Garapan Fishing Base on Tuesdays.
On Tinian, the mayor’s office spearheaded the establishment of a community center that can serve as the farmers’ market. The mayor’s office also seeks funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for a slaughterhouse that can boost the island’s livestock business.
On Rota, local farmers continue to develop different crop-producing methods.
All these things are happening with limited farming technology, Kim said.
The biggest hindrance local farmers are facing is the lack of a cost-effective, inter-island transportation of agriculture products in the Northern Marianas, he added.
Kim said aquaculture is another industry that is also growing in the CNMI.
Aside from the shrimp farm run by a private company, there are also efforts to raise other aqua products like recirculating fish ponds.
The produce Kim wants to buy from local farmers during the early stage of his agriculture development plan are coconuts, mangoes, noni and potatoes.
These will be processed to add value to the agriculture products.
The process will include grading, sorting, cutting, seeding and packaging, and will involve fruits and vegetables, dairy, meat and poultry, marine products and grains as well as beer and other alcoholic beverages.
Kim said the agronomy center he envisions will also allow the growing of vegetables indoors and all year round with the use of the hydroponics system.
This is a system that artificially creates the environment necessary for the plants to grow by controlling the amount of culture solution, air, temperature, humidity and light.
Because these can be optimized, the growth rate of vegetables is two to four times faster than those grown in the fields, and the rate of yields is 30 times higher, Kim said.
Advantages of hydroponics
Hydroponics is an established branch of agronomy proven to be practical and more advantageous than conventional methods.
The two major advantages of soil-less farming are higher crop yields and flexibility in terms of location.
The hydroponics system does not require a lot of soil, keeps the water in to be reused again and again, controls nutrition levels of the produce, is free from pollution, and brings out stable and high yields.
In Japan about 50 plant factories operate and grow lettuce, herbs, tomatoes and strawberries with the use of the hydroponics system.
Kim said once the facility is completed he will invest $2 million more for its actual operation which he hopes will start next year.
