Chapter 290
Chapter 290: Long Staple Cotton
Nairobi's planned population was set to reach 80,000, combining the existing 20,000 residents. This number was on the brink of surpassing 100,000, positioning it to become East Africa's first major city with such a population.
The textile industry was designated as the key sector to support this growing population, and cotton was the primary cash crop cultivated in the surrounding agricultural areas of Nairobi.
To expand their product range, East Africa aimed to introduce Egyptian cotton, specifically the long-staple variety, in the upper reaches of Somalia's rivers. Egyptian cotton, often referred to as "platinum," had a distinguished reputation worldwide for its superior quality.
Egyptian cotton naturally thrived in regions with high temperatures and ample rainfall. It was most suitable for cultivation in savannahs, temperate zones, and tropical monsoon regions. With the advancement of irrigation technology, cotton farming increasingly concentrated in arid regions with irrigation capabilities.
Egypt had perfected the cultivation of long-staple cotton, making it the world's largest producer. Under Ali's reign, a series of water conservancy projects, canal improvements, and crop introductions, including the famous Egyptian long-staple cotton, led to a significant increase in cotton exports. However, the British later disrupted Egypt's economic system, and the once-thriving cotton textile industry was reduced to supplying cheap raw materials to the British textile factories.
In contrast, East Africa's plan to grow long-staple cotton was based on its economic benefits and the markets of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and Germany. These regions were unsuitable for long-staple cotton cultivation, making East Africa well-positioned to cater to high-end consumer markets.
Ernst's strategy involved establishing long-staple cotton planting bases in Juba Province, northern Somalia. After harvesting, the cotton would be processed in Nairobi and exported to the Middle East and Europe. Venice's rich textile history ensured that the Venetian immigrants had the necessary technical skills for this endeavor.
Additionally, Nairobi was strategically located near the livestock production areas of northern East Africa, and plans included breeding sheep in Kenya's grasslands.
Nairobi aimed to become the center of cotton and wool textile industries in East Africa, with Kisumu City focusing on silk textiles. Together with Nairobi and Mombasa, these cities would form East Africa's hub for light industry manufacturing.
While the Austro-Hungarian Empire had yet to fully support East Africa's development due to the ongoing war, Venice was playing a role by sending a significant number of skilled workers to assist in various East African cities' development efforts.
It was expected that as cities in East Africa developed, they would enter a stage of negative population growth, and their Italian cultural attributes would gradually assimilate into the dominant German culture of the region.
In addition to Italian immigrants from Venice, Slavic immigrants from the Balkan Peninsula and Tsarist Russia were settling in East Africa, adding linguistic diversity to the region. German was poised to become a communication bridge among these various language groups.
In the grand scheme of things, Nairobi, a seemingly inconspicuous city in East Africa, would transform into a vital industrial center, thanks to Ernst's industrial transfer strategy, which would be fueled by Austria's eventual triumph over Venice.
The Hexingen Consortium had coordinated with the Austrian military to facilitate the transfer of machinery and equipment from Venice to East Africa. Venice's business owners and landlords who had opposed Austrian rule were either in exile or faced death sentences, resulting in the confiscation of their assets by the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
(Note: This is the end of this chapter.)