We should emphasize however, that we consider roots and vegetables may be fairly
competitive with certain cash crops for land; thus price factors, which we shall discuss
in a later section, may be more important than for products which have a more specialized
land need.

 Only marginal increases in acreage under tobacco are predicted because methods of
cultivation and the cash return are making the crop generally uncompetitive with other
crops (see Table 20).

 The scale of production of crops is measured in acreage or tree population. In livestock
production we have preferred to consider stock numbers of more relevance than acres un-
der pasture (although with the development of greater acreage of improved pasture the con-
cept of acreages and yield per acre becomes more meaningful). Totals of grassland im-
proved and unimproved are, however, shown in Tables 9a and 9b.

 Livestock numbers at specified censuses as compared with those at a later date appear
in Table 21a, and projections of livestock numbers appear in Table 21b. Although there
may be some difference in coverage among smaller farms, the comparisons are probably
rather more valid than would be a similar comparison for crops, acreages or tree popu-
lations. Comparisons are not available for all territories because of the lack of data.

 Cattle population increased in Jamaica, Montserrat, and Trinidad and Tobago, but ap-
pears to have remained unaltered or decreased slightly in other islands. The increase in
Jamaica's herd, which is believed to be continuing, is largely a result of the developments
in the beef industry pioneered by the mining and sugar companies. Since Jamaica's costs
are too high at present to make exportations of beef feasible, Jamaican livestock populations
are likely to be increased only in response to the local demand position, supply conditions
permitting.

 Certain limitations may, however, make supply lag behind demand. Natural rates of
increase can only permit a growth in meat supplies of about 10% per annum unless new
stock is introduced. The dairy industry, moreover, has been thwarted in its development
by marketing, management and organisational problems, and if these should be overcome,
supplies of beef might show no increase temporarily while changes in the structure of the
cattle population take place.

 We consider that in all territories there will be a relative increase in dairy herds as
compared with beef herds. We expect, however, that many islands, particularly those in
which crop cultivation has been affected by migration, will expand meat production. Many
of the small islands already have a high cattle population, however, and indications are
that increases in production must come from livestock improvement rather than more
cattle.

 In British Guiana, where grazing is very extensive, we expect the growth of numbers
to be limited to some extent by reproduction rates and to some extent by lack of capital for
developing new areas. Here again we expect that production increases must come rather
from pasture and livestock improvement, than from greater numbers of livestock.