§ 24. Mr. T. Reidasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies, in view of the shortage in the supply of cocoa and its consequent high price, what are the prospects of obtaining supplies from the recently-planted trees in Malaya.
§ Mr. LytteltonThe experimental plantings continue to show encouraging results and 500 acres are now being planted for trials on a commercial scale; but it must be some years before Malayan production can make a significant contribution to world supplies.
§ Mr. ReidWere not the trees planted about five years ago, and does it not take the cocoa tree only five years to produce fruit?
§ Mr. LytteltonThe hon. Member will know that these plantings, the products of which are now being marketed, were on an experimental scale. They encourage us to believe that the experiment can now proceed on a much larger scale.