466 



Indian Agricultural Exports. 



tion of hides, and partly to the plentiful supply provided by 

 a year of drought and famine. 



The trade in seeds showed an improvement in 1896-7, but 

 still remained at a low ebb, the seasons having proved 

 unfavourable. The exports of linseed, which were over ten 

 million cwts. in 1893-4, fell to 4,683,000 cwts. in 1897-8., 

 There was a large increase in rape and sesamum, the exports 

 of the former attaining a total of three and a half million 

 cwts., and of the latter tw^o million cwts. Earth-nuts have 

 fallen from over a million and a half cwts. in 1893-4 to 

 45,000 cwts. only in 1897-8, the decline occurring in the 

 exports to France, and being attributed to the employment 

 by soap-boilers of cotton -seed oil as a substitute for ground 

 nut oil. 



An important trade is done in oils— chiefly castor and' 

 cocoanut — 1,954,000 gallons of the former and 1,046,000 

 gallons of the latter being exported in 1897-8. Both show a 

 decline during the last two or three years, due to unfavour- 

 able seasons. 



The exports of tea (151,452,000 lbs.) Avere about two and a 

 half million lbs. more than in the previous year, but the value 

 declined somewhat, being i?,r8,059,ooo,as against i?A^8, 125,000 

 in the earlier year. 



Among other exports, coffee shows a small increase in 

 quantity, but a decline in value, while the production ot 

 sugar w^as affected by the drought. The area sown with 

 cotton was about one million acres below the average, the 

 decrease being due in part to the substitution of food grains. 

 Jute, in spite of the quantity exported being the largest on 

 record, and 31 per cent, more than in 1896-7, showed a fall 

 in total value from i^:vio,55i,ooo to i?^io, 130,000. The rice- 

 bran is the produce of the mills in Burma ; and the manures 

 consist almost entirely of animal bones. There was a brisk 

 demand for teak, and largely increased quantities (81,866- 

 cubic tons, as against 64,221 in 1896-7) were shipped to the 

 United Kingdom, Ceylon, and Egypt. The trade in wool 

 revived somewhat ; the United Kingdom has practical^ a 

 monopoly of this trade, but exports to Japan increased by 

 77 per cent. 



