§ 34. Mr. Sorensenasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will give present prices of West African palm products, ground nuts, cocoa and other primary commodities in comparison with pre-war _prices; and whether, in view of the rise in the cost of living and the award of cost of living bonuses to wage-earners, the primary producer is likely to be assured of price increases?
§ The Secretary of State for the Colonies (Colonel Oliver Stanley)With the hon. Member's permission, I will circulate in the OFFICIAL REPORT a table showing comparative prices. With the exception of cocoa, all these prices show substantial increases. They also have the great advantage for the producer of being fixed and not liable to the fluctuations of the market. In the case of cocoa, supplies of which still tend to exceed what can be shipped, the price has been fixed at the present level which nevertheless, according to the advice of the Governors concerned, is adequate to enable the producers to maintain a reasonable standard of life and to take adequate care of their trees. As in the case of oilseeds, the grower of cocoa is also now assured of a market at this price for the whole of his produce.
§ Mr. SorensenWhile thanking the right hon. and gallant Gentleman for his answer, may I ask whether he is aware that private producers are expressing certain grievances, and whether he can say if representations have been made to him either indirectly or by local Governors on this subject?
§ Colonel StanleyI could not do so without notice.
§ Following is the table:
§ Naked ex-scale prices of West African produce (i.e., price paid at buying stations to the producers for their unbagged produce):
| 1938–39 | 1943 | |||||
| £ | £ | |||||
| Cocoa (Gold Coast) | 14 | 18 | 8 | 13 | 1 | 4 |
| Palm Kernels (Nigeria) | 5 | 6 | 6 | *8 | 2 | 6 |
| †Palm Oil (Nigeria) | 5 | 4 | 0 | 9 | 8 | 9 |
| Groundnuts (Nigeria) | 3 | 15 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| * Higher prices are paid in the Gold Coast and Sierra Leone, to induce maximum production, as these areas are not normally large producers of palm kernels. | ||||||
| † The price taken is that for soft oil at Port Harcourt. |