Annual report on Northern Rhodesia / Colonial Office.

  • Great Britain. Colonial Office.
Date:
[1959]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Annual report on Northern Rhodesia / Colonial Office. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    28/150 (page 26)
    Chapter 6: Production AGRICULTURE The production of maize for sale to the Grain Marketing Board was sub¬ stantially higher than in the previous year. Altogether about 100,000 short tons were acquired by the Board and its agents from European farmers, and just over 50,000 short tons from African farmers. In addition, some 2,000 short tons were bought by traders, co-operative societies and Government agencies outside the areas controlled in terms of the Grain Marketing Act. Details are as follows: MAIZE PRODUCTION FOR SALE (:Tons of 2,000 lb.) 1959 Harvest European African Total Marketed to Grain Marketing Board .... 100,800 52,056 152,856 Other production for sale . — 2,424 2,424 155,280 COMPARISON WITH OTHER YEARS 1956 . 89,283 66,383 155,666 1957 . 117,634 89,925 207,559 1958 . . . . . 54,300 5,500 59,800 The price paid to the producer was 35s. per bag for Class A maize, 34s. 6d. for Class B and 33s. 6d. for Class C. A second payment of Is. 9d. per bag was authorised at the end of the year on the strength of the Board s trading results up to that time. The territorial requirement is estimated to be about 140,000 tons. Maize from Northern Rhodesia participated in the Federal Government’s export programme at satisfactory prices. Groundnut production for sale is largely concentrated in the Eastern Province, where the total crop marketed in 1959 was 6,628 short tons, a substantial improvement on the previous season’s total of just over 4,000 short tons. This crop was bought by the local Co-operative Marketing Association which is under agreement to surrender 20 per cent of its purchases to the Grain Marketing Board on line of rail at 19s. per bag of 180 lb. Most of the rest of the crop was sold to export outlets, either graded or ungraded, at prices which were more favourable to the producer. Elsewhere in the Territory about 770 tons, of which 543 came from the North-Western Province, were sold to the Grain Marketing Board or to missions and traders outside the controlled area. Production for sale of other grains and pulses is on a small scale. About 600 tons of kaffir corn (sold mainly to brewers), 300 tons of rice and 300 tons of beans and cowpeas were purchased by various buying agencies