AGAVE 



Trade 



Earliest Becords. 



Exports from 

 Yucatan. 



Bahamas. 



Profitable Price. 



Limited 

 Possibilities. 



First Sales. 



I ndian Market. 



Brush-makers* 

 Fibre. 



Reju Fibre. 



Imports. 



THE SISAL HEMP PLANT 



TRADE IN HEMP. Mann and Hunter give interesting particulars 

 regarding the prospects of a Sisal Fibre Industry : the capital required, 

 the world's markets for the fibre, prices ruling, etc., etc.; their 

 work should be consulted for such particulars. One of the earliest 

 records of this fibre refers to the imports into England from Yucatan from 

 1750 to 1780. Although high expectations were then raised, the fibre 

 did not assume a position of importance until fully a century later, when 

 the first plantation of some 50 acres was laid out. The exports from 

 Yucatan were 243,968 bales in 1889 and 418,972 bales in 1898. It is said 

 that in the latter year there were 1,200 plantations in Yucatan alone. 

 It seems probable that in the Bahamas there are over 20,000 acres under 

 the crop. According to Sir W. Robinson (lecture in March 1900 before 

 the Royal Colonial Institute of London), so long as the fibre fetches even 

 20 to 25 a ton the prospects would be distinctly favourable for the 

 investor in the West Indies. Were it not necessary to provide for heavy 

 charges in supervision, for rent of land (as a rule too valuable for the 

 crop), for freight charges in many instances over long distances to the 

 seaboard, the cheap labour of India might be a factor of no small im- 

 portance. But it cannot be denied that there are large tracts of India 

 highly suited for this plant which are at present practically waste. As 

 an auxiliary crop with tea and when grown on land near the seaboard, 

 it is very probable that success would be attained. But the industrial 

 developments possible for this fibre seem to be comparatively limited. 

 Moreover, indications are not wanting that the increasing production is 

 at a higher rate than the expansion of the demand. But that a limited 

 Indian cultivation might be successful seems fully demonstrated by the 

 results already attained. It may be of interest to add that the first 

 public sales of Sylhet Sisal fibre show that it fetched 36 10s. per ton in 

 London or approximately the same price as realised for the Bombay Aloe 

 fibre, so that the difference in species grown does not appear materially 

 to have affected the value of the fibre produced. [Cf. Ind. Plant, and 

 Gard., Feb. 21, 1901.] 



To what extent production is meeting the existing Indian demand 

 cannot at present be discovered, but there would seem to be no doubt that 

 steadily the Indian supply will improve, and the most recent information 

 goes to show that most encouraging results have been attained in Assam 

 (Sylhet). It is known that there is a regular import trade in " white 

 fibre " to be used by the rope-makers in place of or in mixture with the 

 more expensive Manila Hemp. Certain qualities of sisal or other aloe 

 fibres are also used by the brush-makers. For brushes the larger, thicker, 

 more elastic and more highly polished fibres are required, since these ap- 

 proximate most nearly to pig's-bristle. In the Calcutta market a specially 

 selected fibre for the brush-making trade is reported to be sold under the 

 name of reju and to be imported from England. But here it may be 

 added that the Ixtle or Tampico fibre (Agave heteracantha) is a Mexican 

 fibre which might be said to be specially produced for the brush-maker. 

 How far this may be the reju fibre of India cannot at present be ascertained. 

 Nor can definite returns of the Indian trade in sisal fibre be given, since 

 both the import and export traffic is recorded under the collective heading 

 of "Hemp." Out of the total imports of "Raw Hemp" from foreign 

 countries received by India in 1906-7 (viz. 22,513 cwt., valued at 

 Rs. 6,94,623), China supplied 14,815 cwt., the Philippines 4,891 cwt., the 



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