NAPI Welcomes Congressional Delegation Staff to Discuss Water Infrastructure and Agricultural Operations – Posted Date 09/03/2026
Navajo Agricultural Products Industry (NAPI) welcomed representatives from the offices of U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich, U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján, and U.S. Representative Teresa Leger-Fernández for a visit highlighting the critical role of agriculture and water infrastructure within the Navajo Nation and New Mexico.
During the visit, NAPI leadership shared the history and significance of the Navajo Indian Irrigation Project (NIIP), one of the largest agricultural irrigation projects in the United States and a cornerstone of agricultural production in the region. Discussions focused on the challenges associated with maintaining an aging irrigation infrastructure system that is essential to delivering water to thousands of productive acres across NAPI.
Members of the NAPI Board emphasized the organization’s contribution to food production, local economic development, and employment opportunities for the Navajo Nation and New Mexico. They also underscored the importance of sustained investment in water infrastructure to ensure the long-term viability of agricultural operations and future growth.
Guests toured the Gallegos Pumping Plant, observing potato harvesting expectations, and visited NAPI’s pasture grazing program to gain a firsthand understanding of the infrastructure, workforce, and resources required to support agricultural production.
Our aging water infrastructure has been in operation for more than 50 years and has supported agricultural farming. As NAPI and NIIP work together and bring in leadership to know the importance of the operations and what employment that we give back to the local economy as a leader in agriculture.