Annual report on Northern Rhodesia / Colonial Office.

  • Colonial Office
Date:
[1951]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

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

    42/126 page 30
    WHEAT PRODUCTION FOR SALE (Tons of 2,000 lb.) 1945 . 1946 . 1947 . 1948 . 1949 . 1950 . 1951 . 2,550 2,475 500 900 150 325 84 Several things contribute to the lack of interest in wheat on the part of the farmers. For example, wheat under irrigation is relatively more difficult to grow than maize, irrigation work is not liked by the African labourers, and prices for maize and potatoes are relatively more remunerative. The price of wheat was controlled at £2 16s. per 200 lb. net, the same as in the previous year. Consumption of wheat continues to increase rapidly, and 13,434 tons were consumed during 1951, as compared with 11,000 tons in the previous year. In the native areas there were local shortages of some food crops, but on the whole the Territory managed to survive the drought remarkably well. Cassava came into its own as a famine reserve and fully justified the strenuous efforts that have been made by the Ad¬ ministration in recent years to encourage the cultivation of famine reserve cassava gardens at every village. Rice and ground-nuts were planted on an increased acreage in the native areas, but the serious effect of the drought rather masked the effect since production of these commodities was less than in the previous year. The first harvest at the Agricultural Department’s Pilot Ground¬ nut Scheme at Mumbwa was considered fairly satisfactory in the circumstances. The target acreage of 400 acres was planted, mainly to the variety Natal Common, and although the general yield worked out at only 500 lb. of kernels per acre, the early plantings of December gave more than 1,000 lb. of kernels per acre. A small herd of ninety-five cattle has been established as part of the Scheme. It has already been observed that one important result of the scheme has been to stimulate an interest in the cultivation of ground-nuts on an increased scale on European farms and in the neighbouring native reserves. The con¬ trolled price of ground-nut kernels was £45 per ton (2,000 lb.). After investigations which have extended over a period of two years, work in connection with a pilot sugar cane plantation began on the north bank of the Zambezi River near Chirundu. £25,000 has been made available for the investigation and up to 350 acres of several varieties of sugar cane will be tested. Observations will be made regarding the irrigation and fertiliser requirements as well as the economics of sugar cane production under local conditions over a period of three years.
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