British Mandate: A Survey of Palestine: Volume II - Page 827

CHAPTER XIX.

Palestine even engaged in seasonal export. However, since local production is subject to seasonal fluctuations, there are months in the year when vegetables are scarce and import is required. Prewar imports of vegetables, including onions and potatoes, amounted to about 30,000 tons a year during the period from 1936 to 1938. The main items are shown in table 11.

Table 11. (in tons).

19301193l I rns1 1938 1945

-----,--, Net imports (imports,

less exports and re-

exports) I

Potatoes 7,431 6,811 17,653 18,864 3,100

Onions 2,598 2,576 6,506 5,442 8,507

Garlic 153 126 294 822 348

Other vegetables 238 -236 8,751 * 7,395 4,179

Total imports 1 ~420T--;,;;;;- 32,204-1~-;-: 16,134

----- -•~ --- ------.---,---

Local produce I

Potatoes - - 9,536 8,760 32,816

I - I - l 14 620 I 11 471 I ( 21*994

- I - I ' ' 1,676

12,865 15,068 96,239 1' 88,857 11188,348

Total local produce i~865 16,068 1 120,3951109,088 244,834

1-----------

Onions Garlic

Other vegetables

Total available for

I 23,285 24,345 152,5991141,111 i 260.968

--------,---------.------

consumption

Average available per year for consumption

per head of the ~ Kgs. Kgs. -~ , ~

settled population I 24.0 25.1 114.2 103.1 i 153.7

With the progress of the war import declined to 5 ,000 tons in 1943. The consequential rise of prices led Government to take vegetables under control. Considerable effort was made to increase local production and, despite many difficulties owing to shortage of labour, agricultural implements and fertilisers, producers succeeded in increasing production from 158,000 tons during 1939 to the peak of 271,000 tons during 1944. The most notable feature of this production was the increase of the potato crop. Before the war Palestine imported the bulk of its potatoes. During

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