§ 72. Sir W. Smithersasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether, in view of the incidence of disease in the cocoa plant in West Africa, plans are being made to cultivate the cocoa tree in other parts of Africa or elsewhere, in order to safeguard this valuable foodstuff.
§ Mr. Rees-WilliamsAn expert is at present investigating the possibilities of establishing cocoa industries in Colonial territories in the Far East, and plantings of specially grown material are being undertaken in the British West Indies. Cocoa soil surveys are being undertaken in Nigeria and the Gold Coast to determine the best areas for new plantings. I should not like hon. Members to think that the great cocoa industries of Nigeria and the Gold Coast are doomed. On the contrary, I am hopeful that we shall defeat the menace of plant disease and that in the course of time production will exceed all past levels.