NORTH AFRICA’S RESOURCES

Press, Volume LXXIX, Issue 23968, 8 June 1943, Page 4

NORTH AFRICA’S RESOURCES

AID TO ALLIED WAR EFFORT FOOD EXCHANGED FOR FERTILISERS LONDON, April 2. Co-operation between the Allies in French North Africa has begun to yield certain results on the food front, writes the agricultural correspondent of the “Daily Telegraph.” Those vast territories were found last November to have been bled dry by the Axis, so that thousands of people were living there on a starvation diet—and this in spite of the natural food resources of the land.

Shipments of essential foods from both Britain and America, including many of concentrated type, have helped to ease the position. On the other hand, raw materials from North Africa are assisting the food production drive here.

The United Kingdom is benefiting from the decision, reached at Washington, that she shall have first call on North African rock phosphate, from which is derived one of the most valuable farm fertilisers. French North Africa ranks second only to the United States as a producer of phosphate. The average yield before the war was more than 4,000,000 tons a year. As far as shipping space permits, the phosphate will be brought here to help in growing food on Britain’s farms.

Appreciable quantities are being dispatched already—it is hoped that 150.000 tons will have arrived by the end of spring—but, in view of the huge increases in our arable acreage, farmers must still practise the strictest economy. Fertiliser rationing is helping to ensure this.

We benefit in another, very different way. In spite of the recruitment of hundreds of rat-catchers, rats in this country are eating or spoiling tens of thousands of tons of bread corn every year. Now the war on rats will receive a fillip. From Algeria we are to receive supplies of red squill, the ifnost efficient rat killer in the world, which is derived from the root of a plant found in Algeria, and—an important point—though deadly to rats, is not harmful to cats. On the other side of the account we are likely to continue helping to fefed the people of North Africa until food production there is in full swing again.

More than half of the food sent there comes from Britain. Supplies include wheat, flour, sugar, canned and condensed milk, margarine, cheese, eggs, powdered milk, canned meat, and canned fish. We have even made great efforts to send green tea for the Arabs, who are very partial to it.

Several thousand tons of seed potatoes were urgently needed for planting. The could not be met from United States sources, sa sunplics originally destined for Malta were diverted to North Africa, the

island being served from another source ~ ~c „ British farmers have recently o ■; told that binder twine for this ye* corn harvest will be still harder get than it u c ed to be, and s ' economy is being urged. In* lls ter our farmers are helping the ca - for a quantity of binder twine gone to North Africa for the ha • I learn that it is not expected to coed harvest; we mry have to tinue to s'nd wh r at to suppkra These facts shou’d enrreci t impre'sYm that our entry 1!1l0 ‘ re . Africa is going to result in an P . ciable addition to our Ovvn supplies.