The impact of the Petauke Cooperative Marketing Union (PCMU) on the peasant economy in the Petauke District of Eastern Province in Northern Rhodesia, 1947-1964 : A case study

This is a study of the socio-economic impact of the Petauke Co-operative Marketing Union (PCMJ)on the peasant economy in Petauke District from 1947 to 1964. The approach adopted in this study is a dynamic one. The impact of PCMU on the peasants is examined through a focus upon the organizational structure, business activities and policies of the co-operative movement. The study "begins with a brief examination of the pre-colonial economy, traditional political system and ecological setting in order to show that socio-economic change in Petauke District has a long history. The pre-colonial economy of the district was largely based on agriculture and trade. The discussion of socio-economic change associated with the development of the co-operatives in Petauke District is examined against a background of the evolution of a co-operatives policy in Northern Rhodesia to 194-7. The co-operatives were properly established in Northern Rhodesia under the Co-operative Ordinance of 194-8. In Petauke District the movement passed through three main phases. The first phase was from 194-6 to 1952 when the first co-operative societies were recognized under the ordinance of 194-8. During this period, a weak foundation was laid for the. formation of the PCMU which dominated the second phase, 1952 to 1958. The PCMU was a union of co-operative societies in Petauke and Katete Districts. In the final phase, 1958 to 1964, the PCMU wound up its activities in Katete and "became a member of the Eastern Province Co-operative Marketing Association. The nationalist protest adversely affected the performance of the union in Petauke District.The study shows that the co-operative movement in Petauke was an effort "by the colonial government to assert control over peasant agricultural production. Thus, co-operative societies tended to emphasize agricultural production of cash crops "bought "by PCMU. The PCMU became a middleman organization between the district and markets outside the district. The study also shows that PCMU and its co-operative societies were agents of social differentiation and social inequality within the peasantry in Petauke.The PCMU also became a channel through which both peasants and colonial administrators used to sound opinion of each other on socio-economic and political matters