Indian Agricultural Exports: 



465 



The collapse in the wheat trade in the second half of 

 1896-7 continued through the first half of the following year. 

 The harvest of 1896-7 was below the average, and with the 

 general prevalence of distress, prices ruled abnormally high. 

 A bHsk revival of the trade began in March, 1898, and since 

 th^n, with a crop estimated at 33 per cent, above last year s 

 yield, the trade has been active again. The value of the 

 wheat exported was higher than in the previous year, the 

 totals in 1896-7 and 1897-8 being jRx (i.e., tens of rupees) 

 836,000 and 341,000 respectively. The high price of 



wheat caused a decline in the exports of flour, which fell 

 from 600,000 cwts. in 1896-7 to 505,000 cwts. in 1897-8. 

 Flour is sent chiefly to Mauritius, Aden, Arabia, Ceylon, and 

 Zanzibar. 



Rice, of which two- thirds goes from Burma, was exported 

 in slightly smaller amount than in 1896-7, the decrease being 

 1,550,000 cwts. The crop of 1896 is reported to have 

 been very deficient in Bengal and Madras, and a large 

 part of the surplus of the Burma crop was diverted to these 

 provinces to supplement the deficiencies in the food supply. 

 Under the influence of a good monsoon the yield in 1897 was 

 abundant, being more than double the previous year's yield, 

 and 20 per cent, above the average. The surplus in Burma 

 was the largest on record, but the demand from the distressed 

 tracts of India continued unabated during the first six months 

 of the year. Rice is chiefly exported to Egypt (8,125,000 cwtS; 

 in 1897-8), after which the largest quantities were taken, in 

 the year under review, by Ceylon, the Straits, the United 

 Kingdom, and South America, in the order named. 



Hides and skins show a considerable increase, the total 

 number of raw hides exported being 10,072,000 (an increase 

 of 2,645,000), and of skins 9,842,000 (or 3,500,000 more than 

 in 1896-7). The total increase in value, from i?;r3, 2 3 5, 000 to 

 Rx4,4g4.yOOOy was the largest individual increase in the export 

 trade of the year. There were, in addition, tanned hides and 

 skins exported to the amount of 366,000 cwts., of the value 

 of i?^3,82 3,ooo. The improvement is attributed partly to the 

 abatement of the plague at Karachi and the withdrawal of 

 the prohibition imposed by foreign countries on the importa* 



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