Colonial Policy and the Processing of Groundnuts: The Case of Georges Calil
1986; Boston University; Volume: 19; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês
10.2307/219428
ISSN2326-3016
Autores Tópico(s)African history and culture studies
ResumoThe years 1940-1952 were of critical importance to the development of the Nigerian groundnut processing industry. They demarcate the period in which the Nigerian colonial government developed its policy towards the manufacture of groundnuts and its by-products in Nigeria. This paper analyzes the factors which influenced colonial policy during this era by focusing on the experiences of Georges Calil, a Lebanese-born groundnut merchant and groundnut oil pioneer in Kano, Northern Nigeria. Groundnut production in Nigeria was concentrated in the provinces of Kano, Katsina, Zaria, Plateau, the greater part of Sokoto and Bornu, and parts of Niger and Bauchi. Before World War II nearly one-third of the estimated world output of groundnuts entered international trade either as shelled or unshelled groundnuts or as oil.l India was the world's leading exporter of groundnuts, followed by French West Africa and British West Africa (mainly Nigeria). The colonial policies of both France and Britain were geared towards ensuring that their African colonies remained primarily suppliers of raw groundnuts, rather than producers of groundnut oil for export.2 However, groundnut production in Nigeria was not totally export-oriented; a substantial amount was absorbed by the domestic market. In 1943, for example, 84,000 tons of the estimated 271,788 tons produced were consumed locally; in 1944 the estimated annual consumption of groundnuts for local food was 150,00 tons.3 When war broke out in 1939, groundnut marketing came under the control of the Ministry of Food, which purchased the crop at fixed prices through the Association of West African Merchants. Between 1939 and 1942 wartime restrictions led to a steady decline in exports. The impact of the war on Nigerian groundnut production was felt dramatically after the Japanese conquests and occupation of some far Eastern territories in February 1942. Their victory eliminated Malaya, Burma, Singapore, Hong Kong, the Phillippines, and
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