How Similar to South-Eastern Europe Were the Islands of Cyprus and Malta in Terms of Agricultural Output and Credit? Evidence During the Interwar Period

Abstract

The paper is part of an ongoing process of estimating the GDP of Cyprus and Malta for the interwar period. The islands of Cyprus and Malta have always been considered as similar economically to other South-Eastern European states, despite the lack of historical evidence to prove it. The paper uses recently complied primary sector output estimates for the interwar period (1921 – 1938) to evaluate that the economic structure of the islands was different from each other, as well as from other South-Eastern European states. The output of the agricultural sector per capita indicated that the islands were not keeping up to other Southern-European States. Recovery of the primary sector in Cyprus came from the rapid expansion of copper mining and not from the growth of agriculture. The different growth trajectory of the islands lies partly to their differing economic structure. Malta’s economy was exceptional due to the high urbanisation of the island, leading to the economy’s dependency on the presence of the British navy. Cyprus shared the South-Eastern European problems of high population growth rates, fragmented land holdings, and poor rural credit institutions which combined in such a way to prevent a shift towards other agricultural products. The inefficiency of the credit system in Cyprus was particularly important in checking the agricultural sector’s growth.