(a) On an outline map of West Africa show and name: (i) two countries important for the production of rubber (ii) one important town in the rubber producing area in each country (iii) two countries important for the production of groundnuts (iv) one important town in the groundnut producing area in each country (b) Describe the process of production of either rubber or groundnuts, in the country shown on your map (c) Explain any three factors which hinder the large scale production of either rubber or groundnuts in WestAfrica.
Explanation
(b) Rubber is produced or extracted from the tre( a process called tapping. Early in the morning rubber farmer goes to tap his rubber trees by making a cut on them. Below each cut he places a cup it which the milky juice caked latex drips. This is collected in pails in the evening. The latex is mixed with certain chemicals which make it to coagulate. it is rolled into sheets and smoked to a brown colt and are later sold to local buying agents. (c) Three problems which may hinder the large scale production of rubber include: (i) It takes the rubber trees long to mature - about 6 to 8 years (ii) Presence of poor quality or low yielding varieties of rubber (iii) Pests diseases attack on rubber also reduces the yield
