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Farmer’s co-op membership meeting sometime in October
The first general membership meeting for the CNMI Farmer’s Cooperative, which runs the Garapan Public Market, may be held sometime in October this year, according to co-op president Maria “Frica” Pangelinan.
Co-op bylaws call for an annual meeting once a year, according to her.
She said the October date would coincide with their report to the Legislature on the grant money they received last year.
The Saipan and Northern Islands Legislative Delegation approved $60,000 to support the market’s daily operations in December. With these funds, the market was able to buy new equipment like a chiller for their produce, among other things. The market also acquired a phone number, and extended their hours of operation.
Since they opened in August, the market has had a hard time getting off the ground, operating on a deficit, reportedly due to lack of produce to sell during bad weather, among other things.
Yesterday, Pangelinan said, business was “still slow” but getting better.
The Garapan Public Market opened in August, funded through a $200,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
