378 



DATE SUGAR INDUSTRY IN BENGAL. 



Certainly since 1898 there does not seem to be any tendency 

 towards a marked increase of price of either date sugar, molasses 

 or native refined sugar. 



In the case of cane gur on the other hand during this same 

 period there has been an increase in price of something like 25 per 

 cent. 1 Date gur in ordinary years does not fetch more than 

 Rs. 2-4 per katcha maund. This is equivalent to Rs. 3 per 

 pucca maund and is considerably less than the price of cane gur. 



PROFITS OF THE INDUSTRY. 



It is a matter of extreme difficulty to set forth satisfactory esti- 

 mates showing the profits to be derived from the industry. The 

 writer however has carefully studied a number of estimates which 

 have been previously published. By the help of these and of per- 

 sonal enquiries among the cultivators he has arrived at the following 

 figures. In the calculations he has taken 350 trees as the basis, 

 the number which could be grown on one acre. For this they would 

 have to be planted rather less than 12 feet apart. Two gachis (tap- 

 pers) with an assistant (kheri) would be easily able to manage all 

 the trees. 



I Notes on Sugar in India, F. Noel Paton, p. 23, and also Rural Economy in the 

 Bombay Deccan. G. Keatinge, p. 184. 



