Samoan Exports

et Season Cut Samoan Exports

)COA beans (2,399 tons) headed Western Samoa’s exports in 1954, states the annual report he Agriculture Department, he total exported was 436 tons iw the average export of the five years, and less by 1,344 than the 1953 record cocoa An extremely wet season high incidence of “black pod” ase accounted for the fall, reater in quantity, though not alue, was the copra crop, 13,644 i being exported—an increase of ) tons on the previous year, but ■t of the average of the last five ■s by 979 tons, and 4,517 tons w the record year of 1947. When considered that 11,017 tons were irted as long ago as 1912, it can seen that the industry is more ess static. Excessive rain was

again blamed for the 1954 decline.

Though banana exports as given in cases appeared to be greatly above the quantity exported in 1953, the fact is that actually the quantity was about 5 tons less in 1940. A change was made to a smaller, more easily handled case containing about 75 lb of fruit, as compared with the former 95 lb.

The 1954 total was 285,737 cases.

The recent recovery in the banana industry is very substantial, however, and had 5,000 cases not been left behind late in December due to adverse weather when a vessel was loading, 1954 would have been an all-time record. Notable is the rapid development of the banana industry on Savaii island, which exported 5,063 cases and

should have a much heavier crop ready this year.

The report gives acreage under cultivation in various crops: coconuts 45,000 acres; bananas 14.000 acres: cocoa 12,500 acres; taro 5,000 acres, and ta’amu (Alocasia macrohiza) 1,500 acres.

Cattle are estimated at 11,500 head, of which about 300 are milking cows. Approximately 700,- 000 lbs of locally produced beef was sold in the Territory, the average carcase weighing 346 lbs. About 40.000 gallons of milk was marketed.

The report also estimated that 7.000 tons of local fish was consumed, although no organised fishing industry exists in Western Samoa.