16. Mr. David Adamsasked the Undersecretary of State for the Colonies whether steps are being taken to secure increased local consumption of the small West African cocoa crop due about Tune by the Africans themselves, who use little of this food, by teaching them to grind the cocoa in their own homes, thus enabling the 20,000,000 people of Nigeria to consume their surplus cocoa themselves and thereby mitigate the widespread existence of leprosy and other deficiency diseases by improving the native food supply; and whether the heavy Gold Coast crop could be sold in surrounding countries?
§ Mr. George HallExperiments are being made in West Africa with the simple preparation of cocoa beans for local African consumption, but it is still too early to say whether a taste can be created for the resultant product. As regards neighbouring countries, only the Union of South Africa at present imports cocoa in raw form, and her whole requirements are being supplied from West Africa.
Mr. AdamsI take it that the Minister will agree on the urgency of raising the nutritional standards in that part of the world?
§ Mr. SorensenCan my hon. Friend give any estimate as to the possible amount of cocoa that could be consumed by West African natives if their tastes were modified?
§ Mr. HallThat is purely hypothetical, but I would say that the African taste for cocoa is not yet developed.