Fillip for the 'sleeping giant'
Editorial
THE coconut sector, dubbed a `sleeping giant' in the Guyana economy, has got a fillip which could see vast changes in the northwest region of the country. The opening of the largest coconut oil mill in the country at Charity in the Pomeroon, last Saturday, already has residents plugging it as the beginning of industrial development in the area which puts it in good stead to be designated a township. And if exploratory talks by an American firm on putting down a rocket launch site in the region come through, this would add even more impetus to development in the area. The northwest is already the site of logging ventures by the Barama firm and there is no reason at this stage why the region should not soon be able to fully shake off the ignominy of being known more for the November 1978 Jonestown massacre. (See story on page seven.) The versatile coconut is also now set to add further lustre to these high hopes for the region and the country. President Janet Jagan's attendance at the Saturday ceremony was an indication of the importance the Government attaches to developments like these which fit in with the agro-industrial thrust of the administration. This, we think, is as it should be, because this is a major plank of the future of this country - exploiting its agro-industrial potential to the fullest. As she has often remarked on occasions like these, President Jagan again noted that despite assertions that there were no new investments, this project was a mark of faith in Guyana and its future. Fisheries, Crops and Livestock Minister, Mr. Satyadeow Sawh, explained at the opening that the mill will serve as a catalyst for further agriculture development in the Pomeroon and promote the overall expansion of Guyana's coconut crop. There are obstacles which have to be cleared - residents, for example, continue to be worried about the badly clogged mouth of the Pomeroon River which has to be desilted to ease the ravages of severe flooding. And Essequibians on the coast still dream of the new road to be raised from the quagmire of at least three failed contracts. But the important thing is that there is hope and people are making things happen for their benefit. Mill owner, Mr. Alfro Alphonso, one those residents eager to have Charity upgraded to a township, boasts that his mill has the largest storage capacity of any in South America and is the largest producer in Guyana. These are impressive credentials which the Government should carefully assess in creating signposts of the future away from Georgetown. The events in Georgetown since last year have left more than a bitter taste in the mouths of many people who are fast losing their fondness for this capital city. If only because of this, better national vistas have to be forged from ventures like awakening `sleeping giants' to guide the country forward. 
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