"Rubber will not keep in this country": Failed development in Benin, 1897-1921

Fenske, James (2011): "Rubber will not keep in this country": Failed development in Benin, 1897-1921.

Abstract

Although Nigeria's Benin region was a major rubber producer in 1960, the industry developed slowly. The colonial government encouraged rubber production from 1897 until 1921, when it abandoned the industry as a failure. I explain why rubber did not take hold in this period. The government was unable to protect Benin's rubber forests from over-exploitation. Expatriate firms were reticent to invest in plantations, and private African plantations remained small to 1921. The colonial government promoted the development of ``communal'' plantations, but these suffered from labor scarcity, a weak state, limited information, and global competition.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: Nigeria; Benin; rubber; development
• Subjects: N - Economic History > N5 - Agriculture, Natural Resources, Environment, and Extractive Industries > N57 - Africa ; Oceania; O - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth > O1 - Economic Development > O13 - Agriculture ; Natural Resources ; Energy ; Environment ; Other Primary Products

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