tares planted by some 7,776 ne\; qrowers. In all in 1981 137,832 small holders planted 53, 586 hectares of tea. 'l'he drouqht that prevailed in late 1980 a·nd early 1981 adversely affected leaf yields in the small-holder sector. A total of 145,924 tonnes of qree n lea t were produced in 1981 to provide 32, 729 tonnes of made tea. 'I'his output exceeded the 1980 fiqure by 1,711 tonnes, or 5. 5 per cc: r,t. 55. In l'lalawi, tea production ir;creased from 29.9 million kilcqrams in 1980 to 32 million in 1981. Over the same period, the value of tea auctiorted increased from K5.86 million to K6.11 millior .. 4G E/EC.A/C:i. 9/5 56. In 1980/81, qround-nut production in Benin, Mali, Uiqeria and Seneqal declined compared vJith 1979/80. Eic;<,.;ever, production subsequently recovered sharply, a r:d substantial · ani PS were reported in 1981/82 for the Gambia, Ser:eqal ar:cl the Upper Volta. In Niqeria, which used to be the laraest qrourd-r:ut produc~r in Africa, production remained near its all-time low in 1981, at 580,000 tonnes compared to 570,00C tornes in 1980 and 1.7 million tonnes a year on averaqe between 1969 aro 1971. Ir: Mali, produc­ tion of qround-nuts in 1981/82 more or less staqnate,~ at the previous year's level; producer price::; hav~ lcr.q been unremunera­ tive fer farmers, and the increase from 110 tc 130 francs per kilogram introduced for tr:e 1981/82 seasons had net yet produced any effect. 57. Mauritius is one of the larqest suqa r-prcduci nq c<. 11 ntries in the c01·~tine nt; suqa r pla nta tior:s cover some 97, 000 he eta res, 52 per cent of the island 's surface a r.d 92 per ce r't of all la r:d u n­ der cultivation. Prcc:uction rose from 475,494 tonnes iri 198C• to 574,526 tonr.es in 1981. However, this fiqure i:::; sti.ll some 20 
**Analysis**
The text primarily focuses on the production and trade of agricultural products, specifically tea, groundnuts, and sugar, in various African countries. It discusses the impact of drought on tea yields, changes in production levels, and prices. The text also mentions the overall economic situation in these countries, with references to the value of tea auctions and the price of groundnuts.

**Category**
Agriculture, forestry and fishing, Economic development