PLANTATION ECONOMY IN COLONIAL TANGANYIKA
Tanganyika was colonized by the Germans before 1918. It was the German East Africa. In 1893, the Germans built the Tanga – Korogwe railway line. It reached Korogwe in 1902 and Moshi in 1912. They also constructed the central line from Dar es Salaam to the western side of the colony from 1905. It reached Morogoro in 1907, Tabora in 1918.
The Germans developed both white settler farming and peasant farming. The Amani College boosted peasant farming. The British look over the European settlers established Arabica coffee plantations in various areas. The European settler established many new plantations in various in the highlands sisal, rubber and cotton plantations along the coastal area of Rufiji.
The mainstream of agriculture industry in Tanganyika was based on peasant farming during the direct role of the Germans. When the British came, they promoted settler plantation farming. The settler owned tea in Rungwe, Mufindi, Mbinga, Njombe etc. coffee plantations in Mbozi, Kilimanjaro, Bukoba etc. cotton plantations in Rufiji, sisal plantations in Tanga, Morogoro coastal regions etc.
REASONS FOR PLANTATION ECONOMY IN TANGANYIKA BEFORE INDEPENDENCE
Raw materials: they wanted to produce abundant raw materials to meet the demands of the industries in Europe.
Vast unexploited virgin fertile land encouraged Europeans to establish many plantations in colonial Tanganyika.
Scattered population of the inhabitants (people) of colonial Tanganyika reduces the competition for land between the natives and the whites.
Peasant farming in Tanganyika wasn’t well developed as that of southern Uganda. Tanganyika had few KULAKS, this made Europeans decide not to depend in peasant farming as a source of raw materials.
The existence of Arab plantations in Zanzibar and Pemba encouraged the existence of plantation economy in Zanzibar and Pemba. The Arabs and few Europeans owned coconuts and clove plantation.
Presence of cheap labor such as migrant labor in mainland Tanzania. The slaves in Zanzibar and Pemba also encouraged plantation farming.
Conducive climate also encouraged plantation farming in Tanganyika and Zanzibar. Presence of tropical climate in many parts, equatorial climate in Bukoba. The highlands also encouraged plantation farming.
IMPACT OF PLANTATION ECONOMY IN TANGANYIKA
Plantation farming affected Tanganyika in many ways:-
Uneven development: The use of migrant labor influenced the creation of labor reserve areas such as of Rukwa, Kigoma, Tabora, Singida, Dodoma, Ruvuma, Mtwara, Lindi etc. these areas were less developed as compared to the production areas.
Tanganyika became the main exporter of sisal to the metropolitan industries than other British colonies of Africa.
It led to the soil degradation due to the fact that the fields were permanent cultivated and the pesticides and insecticides were constantly applied.
Stagnation of food production in the labor reserve areas because the able bodied people served as migrant laborers in the productive areas.
It contributed to the urbanization near the production areas e.g. In coastal areas of colonial Tanganyika and in the highlands.
The natives lost their land (land alienation) in the areas with many plantations e.g. In Tanga, Morogoro, Coastal areas in the highlands and others.
Integration of native economy culture. The natives were the producer of raw materials as cheap labor and few peasants. They were also the markets for Europeans manufactured goods.
Establishment of SILABU to recruits labor for sisal production.
Note:
After independence many plantations were nationalized by the new government of the
Natives under President J.K. Nyerere. Some of them were transformed to be public after establishment of the national companies e.g. NARCO (National Ranch Company), the NAFCO (National Farm Company) etc.
