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294 BEVOLKINGSLANDBOUW
SUMMARY
PLANTATION AGRICULTURE
Plantation agriculture is of little account in New Guinea. As nearly everywhere
in the island shortage of labour will be a tremendous handicap in the production
process; any future estates will have to consider production per labour
unit rather than production per area unit. This will inevitably lead to mechanization
in plantation agriculture and, accordingly, to a selection of such crops
as allow a large measure of mechanization.
It will be difficult to find areas suited for mechanization and also favourably
situated for the movement of products. The extensive coastal plains are usually
swampy, while the uplands are for the most part steep and difficult of access.
Nevertheless, some suitable lands have already been selected after soil scientific
research, which, in fact, covered only a small part of the island.