The Department of Land and Natural Resources in the Northern Mariana plans to reopen the only slaughterhouse on Saipan.
The facility was leased by the Department to a private company Seishin Farm Saipan Inc. in 1999.
The Departmen's Secretary Dr. Ike de la Cruz says the operation was successful but when demand for pork dropped, coupled with U.S. Department of Agriculture's strict sanitary requirements, the business slowed down until it closed.
It is now said to take two to three months before the department takes back possession of the slaughterhouse.
The Saipan Municipal Council says there's a demand for fresh pork, beef and other meat products in the local community.
