British Mandate: A Survey of Palestine: Volume II - Page 819

CHAPTER XIX.

CEREALS.

3. Palestine is unable to meet local requirements of cereals by means of local production and substantial quantities have been imported annually. Imported cereals now constitute a considerable part of the total supply; the year 1945 was no exception; some 140,000 tons of standard flour were produced from imported wheat (mainly Canadian) and barley (mainly Iraqi) and distributed under Government arrangements. The following table gives figures in respect of the net import and local production of cereal" for human and animal consumption for the year 1945. For comparative purposes the years 1930, 1931, Hl37 and 1938 are also shown :-

Table 2.

CEREALS AND CEREAL PRODUCTS (EXPRESSED AS WHOLE GRAJN), EXCLUDING RICE.

(in metric tons).

1930

1931

1937

1938

1945

! I If-

Net imports (less ex- I I J I

ports and re-exports)* -26,076[ 54,6211146, 730 Jl2G,456 170,946

Local production 184,4681137,712 275,483j184,492 _177,285

Total available for I J f

consumption 1 158,892l 192,3331422,2!31310,948 348,231

Average available f01 i---i--- ---,---,---

consumption per head I i

per annum of the Kgs Kgs Kgs l{gs Kgs

settled population 163.4 198.4 316 2 I 227 2 205 0

Arrangements for the purchase and import by Government of the cereals required for the production of Palestine standard flour are being continued in 1946, as in 1945.

RICE.

4. Before the war imported rice was an important item of diet, particularly with the Arab community; as will be seen from the following table the average annual consumption was about 9 kgs. a head. About 8,000 tons were imported during 1945 and five country-wide distributions aggregating 3 kgs. per capita were effected in addition to monthly issues oft kg. to children in urban areas and certain allocations to institutions. The supply prospects for 1946 indicate no change.

* N.B. The figures of exports to and imports from Trans-Jordan for the years 1930 and 1931, and exports to Trans-Jordan for the years 1937 and l938 are not available; the figures of net imports given in the tables in section 1 of this chapter are therefore incomplete in that they do not include those in respect of Trans-Jordan.

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