Acting Gov. Joshua Tenorio today presented checks to Guam farmers for the Crop Loss Compensation Program.
The delayed payments resulted from a conflict between administrative rules on the maximum amount that can be paid out to farmers.
Earlier this month, an opinion from the Office of the Attorney General resolved the conflict, allowing up to $20,000, not $1,500, to be paid out to farmers for crop losses attributed to Typhoon Mawar. To date, the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Administration have processed $650,000 for 59 farmers, with the average payment at $11,000. A total of 131 farmers will be compensated through the program.
“Finally, we are able to cut through the red tape and get these payments processed. No matter what, I am sorry for the hardship that everyone experienced during the disaster, and we fought to compensate our farmers to the maximum amount,” Tenorio said.
“I am pleased to report that the Guam Department of Agriculture and the Guam Department of Administration have begun giving payments to farmers under the Crop Loss Compensation Program. This program was made available by funds set aside in the budget by Senator Will Parkinson and was able to be pushed out to help farmers recover from Typhoon Mawar.”
\I had a chance to meet with farmers today to talk about ways to improve the responsiveness of this program and to find ways to continue expanding the number of ways we can help them get back to agricultural production. I am confident that in these next few months, we will be able to see our agricultural sector recover even better than before," he added.