Industrial and commercial South AmericaPeck, Annie S. (Annie Smith)
History
Industrial and commercial South America
Peck, Annie S. (Annie Smith)
South America; South America -- Economic conditions -- 1918-
=Cotton=, it is thought, will soon be cultivated on a large scale. Much
progress has been made in the last decade, and nearly 40,000 acres are
now devoted to its culture, most of them in the Chaco, a few less than
5000 in Corrientes, Misiones, and Formosa. Regions in Salta, La Rioja,
Santiago del Estero, Jujuy, Tucumán, and Catamarca are also adapted
to its growth, but especially sections near the Paraná River and its
tributaries, altogether nearly 350,000 square miles. Capital and labor
are wanting, but as little machinery is required, less capital is
needed for this industry than for most others. Most of the region is
favorable for river transport. The cotton raised is of good quality,
classed as Strict good, Middling, or Fully good or Middling; fine and
silky, over an inch in length. Several varieties are cultivated. Land
is about $20 an acre. The production in 1920-21 is expected to be 75
per cent more than in 1919-20 and nearly seven times that of four years
ago. It is hoped that within a few years Argentina will provide cotton
for the great manufacturing nations; also that cotton gins will be
supplied, and factories for developing the by-products, oil, etc., as
also for the cotton itself. Cotton gins already exist in Resistencia
and several colonies, where 2000 tons have been seeded.
=Sugar= is an important production in the north, especially in the
Province of Tucumán, which contains about 85 per cent of the 250,000
acres devoted to sugar in 1913, 9 per cent being in Jujuy. The largest
amount ever produced was in 1914, about 336,000 tons. In 1913 over
3,000,000 tons of cane were ground to produce 275,000 tons of sugar,
an average of 8.8 per cent, in Jujuy a trifle more. Later production
fell, in 1917 to 80,000 tons, but rose in 1919 to 250,000, of which
Tucumán produced 178,000 from 2,500,000 tons of cane. The average yield
is under 12 tons per acre. Java cane has lately been introduced, which
will undoubtedly produce more than double the cane to the acre now
obtained from the native. Much more land is suited to its growth and
the country might be self-sustaining in this line, as it has been one
or two years and also have some to export. Of the 39 sugar mills and
refineries in the country, 27 are in Tucumán, the rest in Santa Fé,
Corrientes, Salta, Jujuy, Chaco, and the Capital. Two are refineries
only, these in Rosario and Buenos Aires; nine refine part of their
production, the rest are sugar mills only. The greatest capacity of the
mills is 417,000 tons, of the refineries 150,400 tons. About 15,000
persons are employed in the industry, at some seasons over 40,000.
Several foreign companies are engaged and several local, which have
paid good dividends. In the entire industry about $100,000,000 is
invested, of which Americans are said to have 10 per cent. The erection
of two sugar beet factories is considered.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account