TROPICAL REGIONS 115 



enormous and the population, except in Monsoon Asia, generally 

 sparse, it may be concluded that the possible production of oil- 

 bearing nuts and seeds from them is for the present capable of 

 enormous increase. 1 Domestic animals cannot be successfully 

 reared in the tropical lowlands ; but cheap transport enables 

 these oil-bearing vegetable products to be carried to countries 

 where the climatic and other conditions are eminently suited to 

 the rearing of food-producing animals, and there be fed to them. 



A general review of the contributions, present and future, of the 

 tropical regions of Group II. shows that in recent years a beginning 

 has been made in both tropical highlands and in tropical lowlands, 

 in utilising their resources directly or indirectly for the increased 

 production of animal foodstuffs throughout the world. At present 

 the output of meat products from cattle and sheep raised on the 

 pastures of tropical highlands is of much less moment in the world's 

 supplies of animal foodstuffs than are the exports of oil-bearing 

 nuts and seeds from tropical lowlands. In view of a growing short- 

 age of animal fats for human consumption, the edible oils alone of 

 tropical origin already play an important part ; and the oil-cakes 

 and meals from the same sources are daily growing in significance 

 with the relative decline in the areas of land in temperate regions 

 available for the production of fodders and feedstuffs. 



In the near future great developments are likely to take place 

 both in the stock-raising industries of tropical highlands and in 

 the production of oil-seeds from tropical lowlands. Better means 

 of transport and cheap freights are essential to progress in both 

 directions ; but such progress also waits on certain technical and 

 scientific developments of a special kind, which require the appli- 

 cation of advanced scientific knowledge in dealing with the animals, 

 with stock diseases, and with the pastures. Moreover, the satis- 

 factory handling of perishable products in these regions requires 

 the best technical equipment. In the trade in oil-seeds it is clear 

 that every improvement in the care and cultivation of natural 

 forests and plantations, in the methods of collecting, preparing 

 and transporting the seeds, and, above all, in the methods of crush- 

 ing and extracting and of refining the products, add to the possi- 

 bilities of expansion. This group of industries is comparatively 

 new and has hitherto had to fight its way against established 

 products butter, animal fats and feedstuffs of temperate origin, 

 but the indications certainly point to a weakening of such com- 

 petition in the future. Should great developments in the pro- 

 duction of edible oils from tropical oil-seeds take place, the result 

 would be to throw large quantities of feed-cakes and meals upon 



It appears that other tropical regions, besides those already under ex- 

 ploitation produce oil-bearing nuts and seeds, notably Central and South 

 America, but the shortage of labour is a hindrance. Report of Committee 

 on Edible Oil-producing Nuts and Seeds (Cd. 8247), p. 12. 



