A Survey of Palestinian Industry: Imported Materials before 1948 (Nakba), British Mandate: A Survey of Palestine: Volume I - Page 506. Chapter XIII: Section 4

CHAPTER XIII.

IMPORTED MATERIALS.

107. An analysis of the trade statistics shows that raw materials and semi-finished goods constitute an increasing proportion of total imports to such an extent as to alter fundamentally the structure of the import trade. The following table shows the percentage of total imports constituted by each of the three main categories :-

1939 1942 1943 1944
1) Food, drink and tobacco
(and living animals) 26 35 38 40
2) Raw materials and articles
mainly unmanufactured 10 24 40 38
3) Articles wholly or mainly
manufactured 64 41 22 22
-- -- --
Total imports 100 100 100 100 The classification "raw materials and articles mainly unmanufactured" does not adequately reflect the volume of materials which are destined to undergo processing in the country. There are a number of important commodities in categories (1) and (3) which serve as raw materials for local industry. The following table shows the quantities of some of the main raw materials imported in recent years for the purpose of processing by local industry:-

IMPORTS OF CERTAIN RAW MATERIALS LS.

Yearly average for:-

1938/39 1943/44
--- ---
Malt tons 335 1,917
Cocoa beans tons 498 1,278
Tobacco leaves tons 87 470
Oil seeds tons 22,544 38,151
Carobs- . tons 65 27,449
Molasses for distillation tons 2,425 5,506
Pig iron tons 9{0 1,414
Textile fibres of cotton,
wool and yarn tons 1,688 4,638
Cordage, thread and yarn
of flax, hemp, jute and linen tons 236 246
Hides and skins tons 172 1,890
Tanning substances tons 217 2,276
Dyestuffs tons 45 82
Caustic soda tons 1,623 S,952
Sulphur tons 186 3,311
Chemicals n.e.a. £P. 29,758 292,150 * Partly used for distillation during the war years.

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