PRICKS 



COFFEA 

 ARABICA 



Trade 



\ t/> i Art, 

 Cost. 



jcirtii -ulars on these topics for which space can be afforded in this work. 

 The n-L-iim* of I n< linn cultivation, the average production, and the estimates 

 of yield per acre have thus been exhibited. These facts have to be 

 .1 in connection with the returns of trade that have presently to be 

 furnished. It has been shown that an average of 3 rising to 7 cwt. an acre I to 7 Owt 

 would fairly express the better-class European plantations, but there is 

 ii I a rue number of small Native concerns that lower both the average 

 yield and the quality of Indian coffee. It is believed that the Native 

 plantations yield from J to 1 cwt. an acre. The cost of cultivation has 

 variously put, but it seems probable that Rs. 120 per acre for the 

 Kuropean and Rs. 40 for Native coffee would be safe estimates. The 

 .nner would include manuring, as also all factory charges. It is 

 nerally stated that the lowest cost of production on European plan- 

 tations is Rs. 80 yielding 2 to 3 cwt. an acre. 



The net cost of coffee has been taken as Rs. 27 a cwt., and since the 

 t of production is 60 to 70 per cent, wages paid, a fair computation Wages, 

 the value of the industry to the inhabitants of the coffee area may be 

 rrived at by multiplying the European and Native acreage by the estimated 



of production. The mean of all the figures usually published shows Labour to 

 ne person to be employed on every 2 acres of coffee. But such calcu- 

 ,tions are tentative in value only, as there is perhaps no other Indian 

 .dustry more obscure and misleading, so far as its statistics are concerned, 

 .an that of coffee-planting. There are, however, three fairly certain 

 ipects, viz. that the cultivation (see p. 370), production and price have 

 ,11 three seriously declined within recent years. Thus taking the price Decline, 

 obtained in 1874 as being 100, we have the following relative prices for 

 dian coffee down to 1902 : 



Prices. 



During the past five years the actual prices realised were : 1901-2, 

 i. 49-0-4 (variation 65) ; 1902-3, Rs. 49-1-5(65) ; 1903-4, Rs. 46-15-2 (62) ; 

 L904-5, Rs. 50-6-2 (67) ; 1905-6, Rs. 48-12-4 (65) ; 1906-7, Rs. 43-11 (58) 



cwt. As with estimates of average yield, so with prices : the average competition 

 ly be quite misleading as a factor of possible results. But, as already BraziHan* P 

 Dbserved, competition with the cheap production of Brazil has proved Coffee, 

 the most alarming feature of the Indian industry. 



Foreign Transactions. In Milb urn's Oriental Commerce is given a Imports 

 statement of " the East Indies " coffee imported into England from 1802 into 



1810. The total was in 1807, 2,721 cwt. " Company's " and nil " Pri- En S land - 



/ate," while in 1809 there was nil Company's and 213 cwt. Private. 



iroughout the years indicated the imports fluctuated so greatly that 



le returns are of little value. It is, however, explained that it came 



rom Moka, Java, Bourbon and Ceylon. No mention of India. About 



sn years later we read of a charter granted for an Indian plantation, and 



391 



