Camacho, who is also the Saipan and Northern Islands municipal council chairman, said the local government doesn’t have farm equipment that services that local farmers can avail of for a fee.
A tractor with a complete set of attachments necessary for large terrain tillage and other field work is needed for large-scale production but this entails huge capitalization, he said.
Local farmers also need an irrigation system and a central marketing facility, he added.
“Modern, reliable, efficient and low-cost irrigation system is the lifeblood of all farm plots,” he said.
There is a need to install the necessary irrigation system that suits local weather conditions and the soil typology in the CNMI, he added.
Camacho said a central marketing facility is also needed to streamline the local market and integrate agriculture with the local tourism sector.
“The appropriation of $200,000 by the U.S. Congress is not enough to accommodate the design-built type of construction required to accommodate the number of local vendors at the proposed Garapan Public Market facility,” he added.
The Sabalu Market Association is asking the CNMI government for an additional $250,000 for the public market, equipment and irrigation system.
