Reports on Foreign Crops. 



255 



decennial average. The yield was on the whole good, but it 

 was feared that considerable damage was done to the un- 

 threshed grain by storms in the third week of May. The 

 crop in the North- Western Provinces and Oudh was excep- 

 tionally good, and the total yield was the best that had been 

 known for several years. The crop in Bengal was also good. 



In Western and Central India there had not been much 

 improvement except in Bombay, where an excellent harvest 

 in the Gujrat States, particularly Kathiawar and Kutch, 

 helped to supplement the deficiency in other parts of the 

 province. Generally there was a contraction of the area 

 under wheat, due partly to the necessity of replenishing food- 

 stocks by planting jawar and other grains, and partly to the 

 unfavourable conditions of the season. In the Central 

 Provinces the area and yield were respectively 44 and 27 

 per cent, below the decennial average. In Berar the yield, 

 though more than double that of last year, was 74 per cent, 

 below the decennial average, the area sown being 57 per 

 cent, below the average. In the Nizam's Territory the 

 estima-ted yield was 60 per cent, more than last year, but 39-4 

 per cent, below the average, and it was anticipated that owing 

 to a failure of the winter rains the actual yield would be less 

 than the estimate. Full reports had not been received from 

 Rajputana and Central India. 



The total wheat harvest was estimated to have yielded 

 30,365,000 quarters, or 7,500,000 quarters more than was 

 produced in 1 896-97. The following table gives the estimated 

 produce and the exports of Indian wheat for the past ten 

 years : — 



Years. 



Acreage. 



Produce. 



Exports. 





Acres. 



Quarters. 



Quarters. 



1888-89 



25,911,700 



29,690,267 

 28,574,000 



4,109,329 



1889-90 



24,773,000 



3,220,515 



1890-91 



26,576,000 



32,088,000 



3,341,449 



1891-92 



24,482,000 



25,830,000 



7,072,000 



1892-93 



26,429,000 



33,567,333 



3,494,000 



1893-94 



26,778,000 



31,598,000 



2,837,000 



1894-95 



25,994,155 



29,303.559 



1,607,000 



1895-96 



23,242,171 



25,717,837 



2,334,000 



1896-97 



19,024,201 



22,833,435 



446,000 



1897-98 



22,501,561 



30,365,160 



559,000 



