§ Sir R. Glynasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what are the estimated yields of groundnuts in Nigeria this season opening on 4th November; what total stocks remain in store of last year's and the 1947 harvests; what has been the total carryings to the coast by rail and river since 31st December last; and when is it estimated that all stocks held on 1st November will be cleared.
Mr. Creech JonesIt is too early to give any figure of the 1949–50 crop. Total stocks of Nigerian groundnuts at Kano at the end of October were approximately 145,000 tons all of which consisted of last year's crop. No groundnuts from the 1947 harvests remain in store. Total movements of groundnuts from Kano from the 1st January this year to the 31st October amounted to 304,000 tons of which 30,000 tons were French stock. Incidentally I have just received the final figures for October which amount to 42,317 tons—the first time that a figure exceeding 40,000 has been achieved and I congratulate all concerned in Nigeria including the railway workers on this record. The levels of future railings are, of course, dependent upon the freedom of the Nigerian Railways from labour and mechanical troubles. Furthermore it is convenient to commence the railing of the new season's crop at once from intermediate stations notwithstanding the un-railed balance of previous crops at Kano. Subject to these two considerations it is reasonable to expect that the last of the present stocks will have been moved by the early spring of 1950.