FINAL REPORT, FEASIBILITY STUDIES LOAN 504-L-009.

EVALUATION IS THE FINAL ONE FOR THE LOAN. DUE TO GOG SLOWNESS IN IDENTIFYING PRECISE STUDY AREAS, THE TERMINAL DISBURSEMENT DATE HAD TO BE EXTENDED REPEATEDLY. FIVE STUDIES WERE COMPLETED. (1) EXPERIENCE, INC WAS CONTRACTED TO DRAW UP A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN FOR DAIRY INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENT. DUE TO THE CONTRACTOR'S INEXPERIENCE WITH TROPICAL DAIRYING, THE STUDY PROVED OF LIMITED USE TO GOG, ALTHOUGH STUDY RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING ESTABLISHMENT OF A COW HERD AT MOBLISSA AND THE NEED FOR A SELECTION PROCESS FOR FORAGE SPECIES WERE AT LEAST PARTIALLY IMPLEMENTED. THE STUDY FAILED TO EMPHASIZE SUFFICIENTLY GOG INEXPERIENCE AND MANAGEMENT SHORTAGES AND THE DIFFICULTIES OF PRODUCING FORAGE UNDER GUYANESE CONDITIONS. (2) EG & G INTERNATIONAL WAS CONTRACTED TO COLLECT HYDROGRAPHIC, OCEANOGRAPHIC, AND SEISMIC DATA ON THE ESSEQUIBO RIVER AND TO TRAIN SEVEN GUYANESE IN DATA COLLECTION. GEOPHYSICAL DATA WERE USEFUL, BUT CONCLUSIONS FROM HYDROGRAPHIC DATA WERE NOT WELL-FOUNDED. THE STUDY PROVIDES A GOOD FOUNDATION FOR A FUTURE FEASIBILITY STUDY FOR A DEEP WATER PORT ON THE RIVER. (3) TAMS WAS CONTRACTED TO DETERMINE THE FEASIBILITY OF PROVIDING AGRICULTURAL INFRASTRUCTURE TO THE INTERMEDIATE SAVANNAHS. THE STUDIES ARE COMPREHENSIVE AND HAVE PROVEN VERY VALUABLE TO GOG. OTHER STUDIES MADE WERE ON THE AGRICULTURAL POTENTIAL OF BLACK BUSH POLDER AND TAPAKUMA (HARZ ENGINEERING COMPANY) AND WATER SUPPLY DEVELOPMENT FOR THE NEW AMSTERDAM AREA (GILBERT ASSOCIATES). ALL STUDIES PROVIDED PREVIOUSLY UNAVAILABLE DATA BUT IMPLEMENTATION OF ALL WAS LIMITED BY IMPRECISE WORK SCOPES (A FAULT TO BE REMEDIED IN FUTURE PROJECTS OF THIS KIND), CONTRACTOR INEXPERIENCE, AND LACK OF GOG COOPERATION. THE PROJECT HAS TAUGHT THAT THE USEFULNESS OF FEASIBILITY STUDIES CANNOT BE ASSUMED. GOG, FOR EXAMPLE, DECIDED TO LOCATE THE CARICOM CORN/SOYA PROJECT IN THE WIRUNA SAVANNAH DESPITE TAMS ASSESSMENT OF THE PROJECT AS FINANCIALLY AND ECONOMICALLY UNFEASIBLE.