8i 



CHAPTER IV 



CACAO PRODUCTION AND SALE 



When the English Commander, Thomas Candish, coming 

 into the Haven Guatulco, burnt two hundred thousand 

 tun of cacao, it proved no small loss to all New Spain, the 

 provinces Guatimala and Nicaragua not producing so 

 much in a whole year. 



John Ogilvy's America, 1671. 



WHEN one starts to discuss, however briefly, 

 the producing areas, one ought first to take 

 off one's hat to Ecuador, for so long the prin- 

 cipal producer, and then to Venezuela the land of the 

 original cacao, and producer of the finest criollo type.. 

 Having done this, one ought to say words of praise to 

 Trinidad, Grenada and Ceylon for their scientific 

 methods of culture and preparation ; and, last but not 

 least, the newest and greatest producer, the Gold 

 Coast, should receive honourable mention. It is in- 

 teresting to note that in 1918 British Possessions pro- 

 duced nearly half (44 per cent.) of the world's supply. 

 Whilst the war has not very materially hindered the 

 increase of cacao production in the tropics, the short- 

 age of shipping has prevented the amount exported 

 from maintaining a steady rise. The table below, taken 

 mainly from the " Gordian," illustrates this : 

 World Production of Cacao. 

 Total in tons (1 ton = 1000 kilogrammes) 



1908 194,000 1914 277,000 



1909 206,000 JQ^S 298,000 



1910 220,000 1916 297,000 



1911 241,000 1917 343,000 



1912 234,000 1918 273,000 



1 91 3 258,000 1 9 19 431,000 



G 



