614 



ORAMINll^. 



The shipments from Bombay show an increase on the preced*^ 

 ing year of 144'5 per cent,, those from Kurrachee of 53'6, and 

 from Calcutta of 2-36*9 per cent. The share of these three 

 ports in the trade in the past two years and in 1886 has Leeu 

 as under : 



Bombay , . . 

 Kurrachee 

 Calcutta 



« • • 



* • • 



1891. 



Per cent 



47-6 

 36-7 

 15-7 



189t). 



Per cent. 



40-6 



49-7 



9-7 



1886. 



Per cent. 



54-5 

 15-7 



29-8 



Three years ago Kurracliee took tlie lead, and in the follow- 

 ing year she increased it, thanks to the large cix)ps in the 

 Punjab, from whence she draws the bulk of her supplies. Last 

 year the crop in the Punjab, the largest wheat-producing pro- 

 vince in India, was a bumper one, and as the demand from 

 Europe was more than usual, the exports from the chief port 

 of Sind were far in excess of any previous year, and exceeded 

 half a million tons. But she was, nevertheless, unable to main- 

 tain her supremacy. With full crops in the Central Provinces 

 end in the North- West Provinces and Oudh, but under the 

 average in this Presidency, Bombay once again took the lead 

 with a total of close on 666,000 tons, or about 30 per cent. 

 more than from Kurrachee and a 11 per cent, larger share in 

 tlie total exports from the country. To the larger crop in the 

 N.-W. Provinces and Oudh the increased shipments from 

 Calcutta are due, for in Bengal the crop was slightly under the 

 mean ; but her future position, as an exporter of Wheat, is 

 bound to weaken, rather than improve, on that held by the 

 ports on the Western side. In the past seven years on an 

 average 51 per cent, of the shipments have been despatched 

 to Great Britain and 49 to the Continent, but last year only 

 41 per cent, went to U. K. Ports and 59 to the rest of Europe. 

 Of the shipments from Bombay in 1891, the Continent received 



61 per 

 cent., —but from Calcutta only 41 per cent. went. The crop 



bJ per cent., from Kurrachee nearly as much — viz., 



now growing 



in 



Punjab and 



West 



Provinces, in both of which the area was recently estimated 



