ECONOMIC IMPORTANCE OF PEANUTS 

 Table 1 — Continued 



» Harvested crop statistics not complete for all years of periods covered, 

 ■> Continental totals include estimates for other minor producing countries. 

 " Exports only. 



relief. A large government-sponsored project for increased peanut pro- 

 duction in the Belgian Congo is already in operation ; another, sponsored 

 by the British Government, has for its objective the mechanized produc- 

 tion of peanuts on 3 million acres in Tanganyika and Northern Rhodesia ; 

 and production in French West Africa and Nigeria is being vastly 

 expanded. 



Previous to development of the peanut oil industry, the world trade 

 in peanuts was unimportant. However, in every country where grown, 

 they were considered an important item of food and considerable local 

 trade sprang up. The peanuts were most commonly roasted in the shell 

 and sold for immediate consumption. They were also used for making 

 candy and other confections. While a peanut paste similar to peanut 

 butter was apparently made and used by the South American Indians, 

 utilization of peanuts in this type of product has not reached commercial 

 importance except in the United States. In Spain and in some Spanish- 

 American countries, peanuts are ground, mixed with cocoa or with 

 honey and utilized for food ; but exact data as to the extent of this utili- 

 zation are not available. 



