Annual report on Nyasaland / Colonial Office.

  • Great Britain. Colonial Office.
Date:
[1952]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Annual report on Nyasaland / Colonial Office. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    9/154 (page 7)
    Tea production declined during the year, as a result of the wet season and the fall in prices on the London Market. Exports amounted to only 14,654,977 lbs. compared with 15,724,987 lbs., in 1951. Tung production, however, increased and a record amount of some 850 tons of oil was marketed. This was partly the result of young plantations coming into bearing and partly of the biennial bearing of tung, 1952 being an “ on ” year. The most important marketing development during the year was the abolition in December of the Maize Control Board and its replacement by a Produce Marketing Board with powers similar to those of the old Maize Control Board but extending to other crops as well as maize. Agricultural research continued at the various research stations throughout the Protectorate. At Chitedze, the Central Research Station near Lilongwe, research included maize, tobacco and fertility trials. In the maize trials the Rhodesian hybrids again showed their superior yielding capacity; breeding work on the development of a maize hybrid suitable for Nyasaland continued. In the tobacco trials the application of nitrogenous fertilizer gave the most significant results. Breeding work continued and several heavy western strains, which have been selected in the course of the last few years, showed promise of being superior in yield and quality to the tobacco in use at present. Tea research continued at Mimosa and Mlanje and cotton research at Makanga. The scope of work at the Tung Experimental Station at Bvumbwe was expanded to include demonstrations of mixed farming and it is proposed also to include in future experiments on coffee, tea and other annual crops. The Mpemba (Makwapala) Training Centre for African Agricul¬ tural Staff functioned successfully throughout the year. In order to increase the output of the centre it was decided that only candidates possessing Standard VI education would be admitted, thus allowing the course to be compressed into one instead of two years. In the sphere of soil conservation the most important development was the enactment during the year of Natural Resources Rules under the Natural Resources Ordinance. These Rules make comprehensive provision for the conservation of natural resources and will prove of the greatest assistance in the campaign against erosion throughout the Protectorate. The Rules were applied to all three Provinces during the year. Bunding work continued and some 15,198 miles of bunds were constructed. Provincial and District Natural Resources Boards met regularly and gave their attention to all matters affecting natural resources which were brought to their notice. The three Provincial Livestock Centres made good progress during the year. The Central Province Centre was moved to Chitedze, where it will operate in close liaison with the Agricultural Research