Cocoa At £400 Stg.

Per Ton

More Revenue for the South Pacific

AS the result of persistent ad verse reports about the West African cocoa crop—it is either short, or again affected by disease — the cocoa quotation in London on January 5 reached the all-time high of £4OO Stg. per ton, cif. This is a rise of about £lOO per ton in less than a month.

Western Samoa is the chief South Pacific country producing cocoa— and that Territory already is pass ing rich on the prices which have ruled in recent years. If the new price holds, cocoa could return Western Samoa about £1,500,000 per annum, compared with a third of that sum six or seven years ago.

There has been a good deal of cocoa-planting in New Guinea since the war, and the export is steadily increasing. This industry is being actively encouraged by the Admin istration. About 500 tons were ex ported from New Guinea in 1952.

If the export is now 1,000 tons per annum, the net return to New Guinea, with the exchange advant age, could be close to £500,000 per annum, putting cocoa into third place, after copra and gold, among the Territories’ exports.

New Hebrides has been growing cocoa (up to 2,000 tons per annum) for a long time but, in recent years, production has tended to fall be cause of the difficulty of getting suitable labour. If any planting in terest could solve the labour pro blem, it could start a profitable in dustry in the New Hebrides, because land is available there, a good quality can be produced, and there are few if any of the harassing restrictions imposed by the Admin istrations of other Territories—in fact, the New Hebrides Govern ment probably would be glad to encourage, white enterprise in everv possible way, J

Good Outlook In Samoa

Mr. D. R. a. Eden, general manager of NZ Reparation Estates, m W. Samoa, just back from the Pif )C s )a^ Conference in London, says that the outlook for Samoan cocoa producers is bright. World demand is likely to exceed supply for some years. Any buyer resistance to in creased prices of manufactured chocolate is less likely to affect oamoa than many other producing areas, because Samoa produces a luxury grade of cocoa.

Mr. Eden also noted on his return that now is a most opportune time lor Samoa to develop a coffee in dustry. With future supplies of tea threatened, the demand for coffee is increasing, and disease and other factors tend to reduce Brazil’s

coffee output. There is a good de mand for coffee in New Zealand, and Western Samoa is the obvious Territory to supply it.