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04/09/25 - With sales of $ 1.3 million, vegetables and melons represented the largest category of crop production in farms in the CNMI, according to a 2023 Census of Agriculture data released in February 2025.
And by crops, cucumbers lead the way with 115,692 lbs harvested followed by watermelons at 103,885 lbs, eggplants at 63,332 lbs, tomatoes at 58,699 lbs, and other beans at 46,596 lbs. Completing the Top 10 in CNMI crops in 2023 are pumpkins and squash (40,505 lbs), bittermelons (36,315 lbs), hot pepper (32,025 lbs), okra (30,186 lbs), and greens onions (29,270)
In terms of fruits, betelnuts topped the list with 52,868 lbs in 2023, followed by bananas (40,852 lbs), pineapples (28,288 lbs), lemons and limes (26,255 lbs), and papayas (25,685 lbs).
Sweet potatoes, meanwhile, dominated roots crops with 184,868 lbs unearthed in 2023. Taro was next at 65,405 lbs, followed by yams (41,964 lbs), cassava or tapioca (18,786 lbs), and ginger (2,638 lbs).
For livestock, cattle and cows (all ages) were the most popular to graze with 3,536 heads, followed by hogs and pigs of all ages (2,045), goats and kids of all ages (675), and other livestock (60).
In 2023, the CNMI also raised 1,850 chicken hens 4 months old or older, 1,583 chickens less than 4 months old, 1,567 roosters and pullets, 739 ducks, and 389 pigeons.
The census also revealed that there were 316 farms in the CNMI in 2023, up 25% from the last census. Land in farms totaled 2,833 acres, with an average farm size of 9 acres. The total value of sales was $ 2.8 million, with an average value of $8,731 per farm.
The Census of Agriculture in CNMI defined a farm as any place from which $1,000 or more of agricultural products were produced and sold, or normally would have been sold, in 2023.
The most widely used statistics in the agriculture industry, the Census of Agriculture, is conducted every five years and provides the most comprehensive and impartial agriculture data at the island level.
"We thank the producers who gave their time to complete the questionnaire. The Census of Agriculture data tells their agriculture story," said U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service administrator Joseph Parsons. "The agricultural census data provides vital data that helps shape policies, allocate resources, and support the growth and sustainability of agriculture in the CNMI."
Federal and local governments, agribusinesses, organizations, and many more use Census of Agriculture data to support funding research and programs to improve farming techniques and equipment, building infrastructure for high-speed internet, providing effective production and distribution systems as well as natural disaster preparation, response, and recovery assistance.
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Story by Mark Rabago
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