Coconut Plantation of British Guiana

In addition to sugarcane and rice, coconut was a major crop in British Guiana. Large proportions of the coastland are suitable for growing coconuts. Human harvesters would climb the coconut tree with bare hands and feet. Some of the coconuts were husked and cracked open to release the inner kernel which is then dried to produce the Copra. Women and children would walk on the dried Copra to crush them into smaller pieces. The coconut and copra would be loaded on to cargo trains for transportation to Georgetown. The trains would have designated stops along the way and would collect sugar, rice and timber during its journey to destination. The end product of coconut was coconut oil. The image shows a typical coconut plantation of British Guiana in 1924.

 

Sources
[image] Raphael Tuck and Sons, British Guiana