§ 22. Captain Fieldasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what progress has been made in the working of the Tung Oil Scheme in Nyasaland; and why Africans are not allowed to grow tung in the Southern Province.
Mr. Creech Jonesthe scheme is an experimental one to determine whether large-scale development is practicable. It has only been in operation for a year and, considering the remoteness of the area, progress has been satisfactory. Work is in hand on some 500 acres, of which 25 acres have been planted with tung and a further 250 acres have been cleared for planting. There is no legislative restriction in Nyasaland on the growing of tung by Africans There are, in fact, 51 registered African growers on Native Trust Land and 240 African tenant growers on European estates in the Southern Province.