November, 1909,] 



401 



Oils and Fats. 



SOY BEAN TRADE IN CHINA. 



(Prom the Indian Trade Journal, 

 Vol. XIV., No. 170, July 1, 1909.) 



Attention is called by the United 

 States Consul at Newchwang to the 

 exports of Chinese beans to the United 

 Kingdom, which are expected to develop 

 into a considerable trade and which are 

 competing seriously with Indian linseed 

 and cotton seed in home markets. Since 

 the closing of the river to navigation, 

 he says, large numbers of carts have 

 been entering; the town with inland 

 produce, and great quantities of beans 

 have been stored for export in the 

 spring. It is difficult to obtain reliable 

 figures concerning the quantity brought 

 by rail, but it is estimated that the total 

 quantity brought in by rail and carts 

 during the four months December-March 

 will reach 88,000 tons, against 30,000 tons 

 for the same period last winter. This 

 quantity, however, is small compared 

 with the stocks shipped to Dalny by 

 rail from the north, and when the thaw 

 sets in putting a stop to cart traffic, 

 unless there are early spring rains, there 

 is very little prospect of large supplies 

 coming down by river boats, as the snow 

 thus far has been insufficient to give the 

 requisite draft of water in the up-river 

 reaches. Beans, bean cake, and bean 

 oil are the principal products of 

 Manchuria. The prices of these during 

 the past season have been higher than 

 ever before, but how much of this is due 

 to the ability of Japan, a gold-standard 

 country, to pay more in silver, because 

 silver has been cheap, cannot be posi- 

 tively stated. 



The bean cake and bean oil go chiefly 

 to Japan, but shipments have gone to 

 England, France, and the United States, 

 during the past year. The American 

 shipment was a small quantity sent from 

 Newchwang merely as a sample. During 

 the year the exports to England amount- 

 ed to about 70,000 bags. This is a new 

 development said to have been brought 

 about by English experts who have 

 made a study of the beans. They have 

 discovered, it is said, a means of extract- 

 ing an oil therefrom, for culinary use as 

 well as for lubricating purposes, the 

 residue being converted into cattle feed. 

 The exports of bean cake from New- 

 chwang to foreign countries in 1908 

 amounted to 246,608 tons. The exports 

 of beans from Newchwang to foreign 



countries and other Chinese ports during 

 1908 were as follows, in tons : Black 

 beans, 16,498 ; green beans, 31,878 ; white 

 beans, 4,315; yellow beans, 75,99G; red 

 and small green beans, 3,634 ; total 

 132,316 tons. 



Mr. Consul F. W. Playfair, in his 

 Report on the Trade of Nagasaki for 

 the year 1908, gives the following details 

 about soy beans and their products : — 



The largest increase under any heading 

 is that of the import of oil cakes for 

 manure, which is £83,485, an advance 

 over 1907 or more than 60 per cent. The 

 reasons for this increase are (1) the 

 extremely low price of bean cake in 

 China, and (2) the increase in the area 

 under cultivation. The bean cakes come 

 from Newchwang and Dalny ; rape-seed 

 cake from Shanghai, the collecting centre 

 for Yangtsze River ports. The import of 

 rape-seed cake during 1908 was very con- 

 siderable. It is used principally for 

 tobacco plantations. 



In a report to his Government the 

 Japanese Consul-General in Mukden 

 says:— ''The season for the export of 

 beans and oil cake, the pr incipal staples 

 of Manchuiia, opens in November and 

 closes in March or April, and the des- 

 tinations are chiefly Japan and other 

 parts of China (Central and South). 

 Lately beans have begun to be exported 

 to Europe. During November last 21,804 

 pieuls( = 133| lbs.) were shipped to Liver- 

 pool, where they are chiefly used as an 

 ingredient in the manufacture of soap. 

 The cake remaining after the oil is 

 squeezed out is used to feed cattle. In 

 December last 152,357 piculs were export- 

 ed to Europe, half the quantity being 

 shipped for England and the other half 

 to Belgium and the Netherlands, it being 

 used in the manufacture of soap as in 

 the case of Liverpool, The export of 

 beans to Europe has an excellent out- 

 look. 



Owing to this increased export to 

 Europe the price of beans is being forced 

 up; nevertheless, it is expected that 

 even larger quantities will be shipped 

 during the present year. 



Mr. Consul Pitzipios, in his Report on 

 the Trade of Chinkiang for the year 

 1908, states that the exports of bean 

 cake in that year amounted to 588,123 

 cwts. He adds that this cake is produced 

 very cheaply and goes principally to 

 Japan. 



