TOBACCO. 



THE PRODUCTION OP TOBACCO IN NYASALAND. 



By J. STEWART J. McCALL, P.A.S.I., C.D.A.Glas. 



Director of Agriculture, Nyasaland. 



THE culture of " bright " tobacco in Nyasaland is a 

 comparatively new industry, and the first exports of 

 locally grown tobacco are recorded in the returns of the 

 Customs Department for the financial year 1899, when 

 the total export amounted to 2,240 Ib. of cured tobacco, 

 valued locally at 47 sterling. 



During the years 1900 to 1904 there was a steady 

 increase both in acreage and export, the former increas- 

 ing from 69 to 944, and the latter from 4,480 Ib. to 

 28,754 Ib. of cured tobacco, valued locally at 479. 



From the commencement of our export until the year 

 1904 (1899-1904) Nyasaland tobacco found a ready market 

 in South Africa, and no serious attempt was made to gain 

 a footing in the London market, but at this juncture re- 

 arrangement of Customs regulations in South Africa and 

 the application of an import duty on Nyasaland tobacco 

 by the South African Customs authorities soon placed our 

 tobacco at such a disadvantage against the South African 

 product that we had to seek a footing on the home market, 

 with the result that during this temporary set-back our 

 acreage rapidly fell from 944 in 1904 to 421 in 1905. 



In April, 1908, the Imperial Tobacco Company, after 

 examining samples of our crop, took such interest in the 

 product that they established a factory at Limbe, near 

 Blantyre, and a considerable tobacco industry rapidly 

 developed throughout the Shire Highlands, the acreage 

 increasing from 421 in 1905 to 10,496 in 1913, and the 



