By Emmanuel T. Erediano
Variety News Staff

THE commonwealth government has to make use of the “abundant gifts” in the north instead of giving away public land in the south, according to Rep. Candido B.Taman.
“Instead of giving away the little that the CNMI has in the south, why not look north and make the best of what we have there in abundance,” said Taman R-Saipan.
In the name of economic recovery, he said, the government is giving away a substantial amount of public land on Saipan and Tinian.
“But if we head north, we can start harvesting the most valuable natural resources that we have there,” he said referring to the pozzolan deposits on Pagan.
Taman said the government should also consider reviving the production of copra in the Northern Islands.
He introduced House Joint Resolutoin 15-20 last week urging Gov. Benigno R. Fitial to create a team to study the feasibility of copra production in the Northern Islands where there are “millions of coconut palms.”
According to the resolution, the mayor’s office of the Northern Islands has already taken the initiative of implementing a coconut-re planting program.
Taman said the demand for copra is projected to rise.
There are many products that can be made out copra, he said, one of which is the derivative coconut oil now used as a diesel fuel additive.
Taman said the commonwealth can benefit from the re-establishment of a copra industry in the Northern Islands, which would at least provide people there with a subsistence economy.
He said he is calling on the local people to join him in urging the administration to pursue a copra industry and pozzolan extraction in the Northern Islands.