Tudela recently met with officials of the Guam Farmers Cooperative to discuss the marketing of agricultural products and the establishment of a CNMI cooperative.
One of the recommendations during the first agricultural summit in February was the creation of a local farmers and fishermen cooperative, which the upcoming summit will finalize, Tudela said.
She said they are expecting farmers from Rota, Tinian and Guam to attend the second summit. No definite date has been set for the event.
Tudela said the Farmers Support Group, an alliance of farmers, community and government agencies, has already drafted a five-year strategic agricultural plan to enhance local agriculture.
The group is composed of Saipan Municipal Council Vice Chairman Ray Blas Camacho, Department of Lands and Natural Resources Secretary Ignacio Dela Cruz and Northern Marianas College-Cooperative Research Extension and Education Services acting Director Felicitas Abraham.
Tudela said the Farmers Support Group is expected to present its program on farm product exportation and supplying local needs.
“This summit is very important as there’s a need to lay out a plan of agricultural support for the military buildup on Guam,” she told Variety.
In the summit, Tudela said they will also discuss the impact on local agriculture of the economic crisis and the federalization of local immigration in November.
