§ Mr. Sydney Irvingasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies what steps are being taken by the Government of Northern Rhodesia either to stabilise the production of maize or to secure other outlets for the rapidly increasing quantities being produced particularly by Africans.
§ Mr. Lennox-Boyd,pursuant to Mr. Profumo's reply [OFFICIAL REPORT, 16th July, 1957; Vol. 573, c. 930], supplied the following further information:
The Federal Government arranges for the export of surplus maize in Northern (and Southern)Rhodesia after allowing for the storage of adequate reserves in case of a short-fall in adverse seasons. The amounts realised from export and local sale are pooled in order to fix the 214W price to the producer. This constitutes a stabilising mechanism: when production increases the return to producers automatically declines and when production decreases, the return rises.
The Northern Rhodesia Department of Agriculture is investigating alternative cash crops to be grown by Africans. Groundnut production in the Eastern Province, for example, has been stepped up from some 500 tons in 1952 to an estimated 6,000 tons in 1957 and soya beans grown experimentally in the main maize area of the railway belt have been favourably reported on by exporters. These efforts are continuing. Attention is also being given to the development of livestock production in African areas, including poultry, but it is likely to take a long time to develop any large outlet for surplus maize in this direction.