Chapter 279 Somali Bananas
The Western Army's occupation of the right bank of the Kwango River also meant the end of the third conquest war in East Africa. East Africa is now well-fed and well-drained.
The military objectives have been achieved and East Africa's affairs have shifted from war to national development. Now East Africa must digest the results of this war and prepare to deal with future world situations.
Currently, Franco-Prussian and Italian-Austrian wars are still going on in Europe. Ernst, who has read the script, already knows the ending of the war between Franco-Prussian and Italian. The main problem is that he doesn't know how the Italian side will change.
October 3, 1870.
Hohenzollernburg.
Ernst was looking at the geographical information of Somalia that he had collected under the light. He was tinkering with the map of East Africa next to him with a pencil. The areas of East Africa in Somalia were mainly the Northern Province and Juba Province.
As planned development areas, Ernst positioned the Northern Province and Juba Province as two provinces where cash crop planting and animal husbandry would be vigorously developed.
In fact, Somalia is not a pure desert country. Fifteen percent of its land area is forested and a comparable amount of grasslands, especially the two provinces in East Africa, which cover not only Somalia but also most of the southeastern Ethiopia in the past.
As for the planting of food crops, it is better to leave it to other regions. Somalia's arable land resources are relatively scarce in East Africa, and so are water resources, so it is more cost-effective to plant cash crops.
The first thing is to increase the cultivation of frankincense and myrrh. These two things will never have trouble selling. The Somali region has historically been rich in spices, and is now the world's main producer of frankincense and myrrh. Therefore, it is also known as the "Land of Spices". Frankincense and myrrh are the local flagship products, and their output accounts for more than half of the world's total.
Then comes animal husbandry. The most important product of Somalia's animal husbandry is camels. In the past, Somalia had the largest number of camels in the world. Then comes cattle and sheep. There is not much demand for camels in East Africa, but they can be sold to North Africa and the Middle East.
Frankincense and myrrh cultivation and camel breeding are both Somalia's advantageous traditional industries. On this basis, Ernst plans to build Somalia into a cotton and banana planting base in East Africa.
Speaking of banana planting, this is definitely a new field. There are many banana trees in East Africa, but large-scale planting has never been formed, and it has not been commercialized. It is just a fruit for ordinary East African residents.
In the past, the bananas produced in Somalia tasted excellent and were like vanilla cream in the mouth. They were known as the "sweetest bananas in the world", and Somalia therefore earned the reputation of "Banana Kingdom".
At present, Somalia's banana planting industry is basically blank. In the past, Somalia's banana planting emerged during the Italian colonial period in the 1920s. The Italians built more than 200 banana plantations on the fertile land in southern Somalia.
Italy's banana planting industry was very successful, and bananas quickly became one of the staple foods of the Somalis. They can be eaten with rice or pasta, or as fruit before meals. The Somalis' eating habits show the profound influence of Italy on Somalia's banana planting industry.
Later, when warlords in various parts of Somalia were fighting each other, they would give priority to seizing banana plantations, so the banana industry is very important to Somalia. Of course, those Somali warlords have no chance to seize banana plantations. Now, there is not a single local person to be seen in the Northern Province and Juba Province in East Africa.
Thinking of this, Ernst said, "Tom, go contact some European agricultural experts, preferably those who are good at banana planting technology, and ask if there are any willing to develop in East Africa. Also, find more professional information on banana planting. We need data support to support the economic development of Somalia."
"Yes, Your Highness! But I have a question. Isn't Somalia a desert? Is it suitable for growing bananas?" Tom asked curiously.
"It is a desert climate, but not entirely a desert. There are oases in the Egyptian desert! And I don't need to tell you how fertile the Nile River is. Although the Shabelle River and Juba River in Somalia are not as fertile as the Nile River, they are not much worse. They can both provide irrigation water for both banks. As long as there is water, the desert is not a big deal."
"So that's how it is. But, Your Highness, why do we have to grow bananas in Somalia? Aren't there abundant bananas in other parts of East Africa?" Tom asked curiously.
Bananas are very common in Africa, especially in the Great Lakes region, which is very suitable for banana cultivation. In the previous documentary, Africans used bicycles to transport bananas from the Great Lakes countries. For example, Uganda's "national meal" is banana rice, and its "national drink" Walaji is also a beverage brewed from bananas. The famous Odebiu is a banana carrier in Burundi. Bananas are the staple food of many Africans, so the bicycles of Odebiu and others do not carry fruit, but life.
"Those places have good bananas, but they can't compare with Somalia in terms of distance. We want to target the European market, and the transportation of products is a big problem, especially for melons and fruits such as bananas. Somalia is in a very good location because of the opening of the Suez Canal, so it is close to Europe, and there are ports that can be used directly." Ernst explained.
Afgooye, the main banana producing area in Somalia, is only more than 30 kilometers away from Mogadishu, and the port of Mogadishu is conveniently connected to the Middle East and Europe, especially in terms of distance compared to Southeast Asia and America where similar products are produced. With this location advantage, as long as bananas are planted, it is hard not to make a fortune.
Africa has a long history of banana cultivation, and is the only region that can compete with Southeast Asia and America in the banana planting industry.
"Now, I heard that Americans also want to develop banana planting in Latin America, so we will focus on doing business in Europe and the Middle East," said Ernst.
The banana cultivation industry in the United States also started in this period, but Americans planted it on islands in Latin America and the Caribbean, not in the United States. East Africans planted it on their own land. If they did not use slaves, they certainly would not have caused public outrage like the Americans did.
"In terms of cost, our banana production in East Africa may be slightly higher than that in the United States, but for tropical crops like bananas, storage and transportation are generally the biggest challenges for export. Compared with Americans, the entire Middle East and European markets are open to us."
Tom asked, "Your Highness, from what you said, growing bananas in Somalia does have its advantages, but Europe can also import bananas from West Africa! Spain, Britain, and France are all doing this."
"Haha, of course I know that, but that is the Atlantic coast. Europe is so big, especially Central Europe, Eastern Europe, the Ottoman Empire, Tsarist Russia, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. These are all our markets." Ernst said.
Especially Tsarist Russia, a cold-zone country, what it lacks most is tropical products. In fact, India is quite close to Tsarist Russia, but the problem is that the heart of Tsarist Russia is in Eastern Europe. East Africa has more transportation advantages by using the Suez Canal and finally passing through the Black Sea to reach the Tsarist Russian ports.
(End of this chapter)
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