DEPARTMENT of marketing and exports Nigeria.2026-10-192026-10-191959https://nigeriareposit.nln.gov.ng/handle/20.500.14186/2992This Official annual report details the comprehensive scientific research, operational activities, and administrative progress undertaken by the West African Stored Products Research Unit (WASPRU) from October 1958 through September 1959. Operating under the Department of Marketing and Exports in Nigeria, WASPRU focused extensively on resolving tropical storage challenges, minimizing post-harvest food deterioration, and mitigating high pest infestation pressures unique to tropical climates. The document covers specialized investigations across major West African export commodities and local foodstuffs, including cocoa, groundnuts, palm produce, grains, copra, and yams. Key technical findings highlight the transition from costly surface insecticide spraying toward physical protective barriers, such as hermetically sealed storage systems, underground pits, steel and concrete silos, and the effective use of polythene sheeting to prevent reinfestation following fumigation. The report features extensive data regarding the chemical and biological persistence of insecticides like malathion, gamma B.H.C., and dieldrin on various surfaces, alongside analytical studies into free fatty acid formation, lipolysis, and oil bleachability in palm produce. Furthermore, groundbreaking respirometric studies on yam tubers revealed complex endogenous diurnal respiratory rhythms contributing to dry weight losses during storage. Supported by statistical tables, meteorological comparisons, and collaborative inputs from regional agricultural research stations and the Tropical Products Institute, this report serves as a critical historical record of mid-century agricultural and entomological science in West Africa.• I Introduction • II Annual Reviewing Committee Meetings • III Staff • IV. Laboratory and Office Accommodation • V. Visitors • VI. Cocoa • VII. Groundnuts • VIII. Palm Produce • IX. Grain • X. Yams • XI. InsecticidesenArticle