20 



INDIAN TRADE IN AGRICULTURAL PRODUCE. [June 1896. 



59,000 lbs. and 49,000 lbs. in each of the last two years. The 

 woollen factories of India are still, however, only in their infancy 

 as regards the weaving of the better classes of fabrics. 



The quantity of sugar imported into India in 1894-95 

 amounted to 2,491,000 cwts., as compared with an average 

 annual importation of about 2,000,000 cwts. in the previous 

 three years. Mauritius was credited with 70 per cent, of the 

 sugar imported last year, and it is interesting to note that 

 Germany ranked next among the countries contributing to the 

 supply of this article. It is observed, however, that the con- 

 tinental countries make no headway in the competition between 

 their beet sugars and the cane sugars of Mauritius, China, the 

 Straits, and Java, which continue to furnish India with the 

 bulk of the sugar she requires from foreign countries. The 

 imports from the United Kingdom have undergone such rapid 

 restriction that the trade would seem to have approached 

 complete extinction. 



The imports of tea in 1894-95 were smaller than those of the 

 previous year, the quantity having been 6,326,000 lbs. as com- 

 pared with 7,688,000 lbs. The sources of supply were China, 

 Ceylon, the Straits, and Java. Ceylon tea is consumed in India, 

 but the balk of the other imported tea is re-exported, chiefly to 

 Persia and Afghanistan. 



The following table shows the values of certain Indian pro- 

 ducts which were exported during the period from 1890 to 

 1895 :— 



Article. 



1890-91. 



1891-92. 



1892-93. 



1893-94. 



1894-95. 





Rx. 



Rx. 



Rx. 



Rx. 



Rx. 



Grain and pulse 



19,539,228 



28,695,680 



20,562,972 



16,325,142 



17,056,850 



Seeds 



9,343,252 



12,208,458 



11,631,015 



17,753,251 



14,201,520 



Hides and skins 



4,695,919 



5,186,002 



5,591,935 



5,801,328 



6,559,940 



Wool, raw - 



968,322 



1,013,864 



1,116,578 



1,079,772 



1,376,850 



Provisions - 



633,377 



776,531 



775,802 



873,877 



853,155 



Wood and timber - 



557,884 



609,463 



695,259 



589,764 



661,824 



Sugar 



417,562 



508,417 



507,914 



892,741 



550,583 



Jute, raw 



7,602,010 



6,848,493 



7,944,223 



8,524,130 



10,575,977 



Opium 



9,261,814 



9,562,261 



9,255,014 



8,019,428 



9,064,665 



Cotton, raw - 



16,502,775 



10,754,312 



12,743,679 



13,296,670 



8,703,356 



Tea - 



5,219,233 



5,968,129 



6,292,348 



6,585,835 



7,555,745 



Indigo 



3,073,125 



3,214,076 



4,141,179 



4,182,128 



4,745,915 



Coffee 



1,454,985 



1,998,659 



2,066,862 



2,002,171 



2,122,373 



The greatest part of the decline in the export of seeds was due 

 to the restriction within normal limits of the trade in rapeseed, 

 for Which a most exceptional demand had existed in the preceding 

 year owing to the failure of the European colza harvest. The 

 decline in the export of sugar also followed an unusually 

 large export in 1893-94, which was due to speculative trans- 

 actions. 



On the whole, considering that there was a decline in only 

 two articles of the first importance; that in one of these the 



