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Typhoon damage to cocornit groves in the Fhilippines has broughtcopra into
short supply. This is expected to continue for many years, i. e. the
market looks good. Coconut oil is used in products such as foods and

soap and that part remainirs after oil extraction is used for animal
feed and fertilizer.
Tse sun-dried copra such as made by the Bikini people
on Kili is superior to the oven dried variety and brings a premium price.
The market for Copra from this area of the Pacific is Japan.
This is due
to availability of transportation.
The large processing facilities are
in the Philippines and in Capan.
It was reported that there are also

processing plants in Orezon in the U. S.

and in California but no

transportation is now evailable in that direction. My worry is the
fact that one can expect ts find detectable levels of radioactivity in
the copra, particularly the+ grown on Bikini Island, and the fact that
the market for this pretuct is Japan.
It would be disconcerting, to
say the least, to reestzblish a copra production capability for Bikini

Atoll only to have a problem with the low but detectable levels of

‘radioactivity showing up in the marketable product.

/
.
4
EVs
Tommy FC hicCraw

Oud

_ Nuclear Explosives Environmental

and Safety Branch

Division of Operational Safety

Distributicn:
Dr. English, GM
Dr. Totter, EM
Dr. Lough, Hi
Gen. Giller, MA
Lt. Col. Gomes, MA
Mr. Harris, PI
Dr. Harley, HASL
Mr. Beck, HASL

Yor. Malick, LASL

Held, U. of Wash.
Reeves, NV
Bonnet, Hono
Tompkins, FRC

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