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Overseas Food Corporation Operations

Volume 495: debated on Wednesday 30 January 1952

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23.

asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies if he will make a statement on the changes in staff and production plans effected by the Overseas Food Corporation to carry out a long-term farming policy on its properties in Tanganyika formerly intended for mechanised groundnut production.

The Corporation have been carrying out the changes in their organisation and farming programme necessary to carry out the long-term plan approved by His Majesty's Government. The European staff, which numbered 1,153 on 31st March, 1951, will be reduced to 590 on 31st March next.

The Corporation's farming policy is now concentrated on establishing, through a variety of small farms serviced from the centre, an economic system of mechanised arable farming. For the time being the Corporation is adhering to a rotation of groundnuts, maize and sorghum, but is pursuing small scale experiments with other crops including beans, castor, cotton, rice, tobacco and various fibres.

Under the new plan farming is restricted to 24,000 acres at Kongwa and 60,000 each at Urambo and the Southern Province. The current crop extends to 73,500 acres made up of 15,000 each at Kongwa and the Southern Province, and 43,500 at Urambo.