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6/15/1962 - Peanuts and Marabouts: I by David Hapgood

NOT FOR PUBLICATION INSTITUTE OF CURRENT 7ORLD AFFAIRS DH June Peanuts Marabouts I Universite Paris Mr Richard H Nolte Institute Current World Affairs Madison Avenue New York N Y Dear In African chief Dakar offered slaves French chemist named Rousseau ItKeep captivess Rousseau peanuts I Wll anything Europe The chief decided profitable slaves growing peanuts The according contemporary count marabouts Moslem religious leaders athered togethers buried amulets promised propagate growing peanUtSo Today course events Senegal largely determined peanuts marabouts This succeeding newsletters voted place peanuts marabouts future Senegal Peanuts originally South America Slave traders broug slaves voyage America there small scale growing peanuts Africa before Rousseau Des abolition slave trade peanut production increased rapidly after found edible could peanuts Rousseau himself planted hectares alone filled three masted which plant France Not after Governor Protet Senegal concluded peanuts colony Pro addeds rather gratuit ously Wolofs Senegal tsking peanuts because Itthat suits their tendency toward In Nine teenth Century peanuts Senegals ports value 1900s percent percent Today about cultivatea Senegal planted This Sene produced 970s000 metric peanuts 863s000 exporteds either More percent ports France PEANUTS BEING PUT IN SACKS AFTER DRYING DURING THE DRY SEASON DH Peanuts Africans family basis The French tried various times start peanut plantations proved profitable succeeded making mechanized peanut farming The great expansion peanut production carried French French orders Africans responding market opportunities growing peanuts virtually money imported goods The speed which Africans moved peanuts might noted those African peasants adapt crops methods The peanut plant small crawling annual itself tuber attached roots potato Just before rainy season starts June Senegalese peasant clears burning brush cutting rudimentary scythe After second season farmer pokes holes softened rainy plants The field weeded twice after young plants appeared From after peanuts ready harvested ideally peanuts harvested right after season stored outside photo sometimes spoils The whole process plows draft animals being seldom takes hours labor hectare within months June October rainy season Be cause peanut farming requires labor short periods peanut areas Senegal attract migrant labor neighboring countries supply migrant labor reduced hardening political frontiers since independence The peasants their during sales period fixed December April sales coming beginning The peasan average capita income about Though French succeed making money actual groing peanuts peanut trade another matters economie traite which everything rigged against peanut producer The French trading companies their agents lages usually small Lebanese traders found could profit every stage trade Since peanut farmer usually after often hungry hardest season around June July The storekeeper would advance repaid peanuts months later interest rates percent Then peasant induced spend hatever collected often worthless baubles priced clothes company Lebanese store would hungry again planting season It common practice scales peanuts weighed In these peasants deprived large estimates their income Most effects introduction peanuts Senegal The peanut exhausting patti DH cularly planted after without rotation fertilizer lying fallow Before Europeans brought peanut nature harmonious balance achieved millenia since first began cultivating West Africa balance which peasants brush fires upset Before peanuts Senegalese peasants least rotated their crops regularly their fields fallow This should noted those judge traditional African farming methods today What upset balance introduction worth peasant crops So planted after peanuts exhausted peasants packed leaving desert behind The declining productivityz newly opened peanut zones produce 17000 kilos hectare7 older zones about Peanuts upset Senegal subsistence economy So peasants stopped planting staple crops7 millet agricultural nation longer grows Both millet imported imports supply thirds nation consumption Thfis Senegalese peasant longer sufficient mercy international commodity markets which country control years terms trade turned against peanut producer From 19307 price peanuts multiplied while price imported cloth peasants purchase times In 19367 peasant kilos peanuts could kilos proceeds In kilos peanuts kilos Today7 price fixed government takes kilos peanuts kilos This there compensating productivity In human terms concentration peanuts effects The peasant during seven months Since there discouragingly ceiling So peasants migrate Dkar season there relative Many rainy season float around Dakar unemployed often unemployable peddling LOADING PEANUTS ON THE TRAIN DH cigarettes works living shantytowns spread sores outskirts And dweller finds cannot aheadz income eaten relatives coming In politics peanut trade Senegal unhealthily pendent France France almost entire percent world market price reasons continuing subsidy after independence political rather economic Senegal lives French housewife preference salad peanuts common remark Dakar It indeed salad French dependent there other cheaper sources edible almost Senegal finding other truly commercial outlets peanuts close price bringing France With abundant other sources France immune economic pressure Sene Senegal trade France France would money Senegal would bankrupt become dependent other power doubtless United States Soviet Union Russia agreed Senegalese peanuts exchange machinery French subsidy essentia political Russians Senegal peanuts French Senegal United States under surplus politically motivated years Senegal buying Communist China This colonialism abused In urban circles colonialism discussed ponents present Senegalese regime object Senghor government obvious political reliance France French Dskar remaining French officials govern French staffed financed universtty French trading companies continuing control trade Dskar But should Senegal would remain depend France peanut trade relatively unimportant France vital Sene This rationale behind President Senghor recent remark answer critics advantage excha nging French colonialism Russian American brands For present state Senegalese economy world market conceivable pattern trade would Senegal present client state mercy customers David Hapgood Received New York June