British Mandate: A Survey of Palestine: Volume II - Page 825

CHAPTER XIX.

throughout the war period because of shortage of supplies, average consumption again rose to 11.6 kgms. in 1945. In that year, the average availability from local production only was 5.1 kgms. a head of the urban and semi-urban population, A scheme initiated by the Government to obtain supplies of fresh fish from the Gulf of Aqaba has been dogged by misfortune in the shape of repeated accidents to the fishing vessel M.V. "Doron".

MILK AND Milk PRODUCTS.

13. Before the war, Palestine obtained a large proportion of its milk products from overseas and Middle East countries. Table 9 shows the quantities of imports and of local production.

Table 9.

Net import. II (imports less exports and re-exports)

Cheese

Butter

Milk (tinned) Milk (dried inc.

dried leben) Milk cream Samneh

Total milk equivalent Local produce

Arab estimate) Jewish

Total available for consumption

Average per year available per head of the settled population

19SO

1931

1997

1988

1945

'rcne

Tons

Tons I~~

1,047 I "'

2,117 1,965

1,002 1,102
The average per capita consumption was the equivalent of about 130 litres per a.nn1'm before the war. (Professor I. EleazerVolcani" of the Jewish Agency Agricultural Research Station assessed the consumption of the Jewish community in 1935 at the equivalent of 237 litres a head per annmn and, assuming that the bulk of the imports were consumed by Jews, the figures of 1937 appear to show consumption at approximately that level).

14. During 1945 the shortage of supplies allowed only 107 litres per capita for the whole settled population and there is little hope of much increase during 1946. Estimates of local production and imports for 1946 are as follows :- •
_______________________________
* Planned Mixed Fanniug , 1938, pages 20 et seq.

825