Edible Products. 



30 



[July, 1912. 



mainly in Jamaica and Cochin (India), of ginger from Jamaica, India, and 

 The following table shows the exports Sierra Leone during recent years ; 



Exporting Country. 



1906. 



1907. 



1908. 



. 1909. 



1910.* 



Sierra Leone : t 

 Quantity ... cwt, 

 Value ... £ 

 Average value per cwt. £ 



11,584 

 10,880 

 0-94 



12,369 

 11,579 

 0-936 



12,733 

 11,871 

 0*932 



14,433 

 14,147 

 0-98 



21,860 

 33,288 

 1-52 



Jamaica : J 

 Quantity ... cwt. 

 Value ... £ 

 Average value per cwt. £ 



19,802 

 27,722 

 1-4 



18,006 

 39,620 

 2-2 



15,890 

 46,289 

 2-9 



20,708 

 44,071 

 2-2 



20,996 

 37.180 

 1-8 



India : J 

 Quantity cwt, 

 Value ... £ 

 Average value per cwt. £ 



88,118 

 88,516 

 C-95 



48,353 

 64,481 

 1-3 



49,368 

 74,037 

 1-5 



64.649 

 96,732 

 1-5 



65,544 

 107,564 

 164 



* Later figures not yet available, 



f These figures are for the calendar year ending December 31. 

 I These figures are for the fiscal year ending March 31. 



Prom these figures it will be seen that 

 the exports of ginger from Sierra Leone 

 show a steady rise both in quantity and 

 value during the years 1906-10. lhe 

 ginger exported from this Colony is of 

 poorer quality, and consequently realises 

 lower prices than that from Jamaica 

 and India. This is due almost entirely 

 to the faulty methods of cultivation 

 and preparation. With better cultural 

 methods and more careful preparation 

 there is no reason why the West African 

 ginger should not be greatly improved 

 in quality. 



The exports of Indian ginger have 

 fluctuated considerably both in quantity 

 and value in the period 1906-10, but the 

 average value per cwt. shows a steady 

 rise. This is to be attributed to the fact 

 that whereas in former years very 

 little of the ginger was sent out in a 

 peeled condition, at the present time 



large quantities of well-prepared peeled 

 rhizomes are exported. The exports 

 from Jamaica vary greatly from year to 

 year, and in that case the average price 

 per cwt. likewise shows great variation. 

 Although the average price of Jamaica 

 ginger is still higher than that of any 

 other class of ginger, it is to be noted 

 that the best Cochin ginger fetches the 

 highest prices in the United Kingdom at 

 the present time ; in London, February 

 1912, for example " good to fine " washed 

 Jamaica ginger varied in price from 62.s. 

 6d. to 67s, Qd. per cwt., whilst " good to 

 fine bold" Cochin ginger was quoted 

 at 80s. to 85s. per cwt. 



The imports of ginger to some of the 

 chief consuming countries is shov-n in 

 following table. Ginger is not shown 

 separately in the United States of 

 America and French trade returns, so 

 that statistics for these two countries 

 cannot be given ; 



