Fruit, vegetables, beef and pork are produced in commercial quantities, and some is exported. Fisheries and copra are other important industries in the agricultural sector.
Manufacturing is dominated by textile production.
The economy is dominated overall, however, by the service sector, of which tourism is the principal component. The establishment of an air link with Japan gave a major boost to this sector. However, the lack of available workers led to the recruitment of large numbers of foreign workers and this accounts for the huge growth in the islands' population. Bilateral aid from the USA is an important source of income for the Government, particularly monies earmarked for the development of the islands' infrastructure whose poor condition is currently holding back further economic growth. The Northern Marianas is a member of the Pacific Community.