Supplement to Commerce Reports Daily Consular and Trade Reports: Turkey, HarputDavis, Leslie A.
History
Supplement to Commerce Reports Daily Consular and Trade Reports: Turkey, Harput
Davis, Leslie A.
Harput (Turkey) -- Economic conditions -- 20th century; Turkey -- Commerce -- United States; United States -- Commerce -- Turkey
Wheat sold in 1013 for 50 or 60 piasters per kile (a piaster is
equivalent to 4.4 cents and a kile to about 170 pounds) and barley for
35 piasters per kile. Last year wheat sold as low as 35 piasters per
kile and barley as low as 25 piasters per kile.
+Increased Yield of Cotton.+
Considerable cotton of an inferior quality is raised in this Vilayet.
The bolls are about the size of a walnut, the fiber short, and the
plants small. Other varieties do not thrive here on account of the
shortness of the season. The method of cultivation is primitive, most
of the work being performed by women, and little effort is made to
secure good crops.
It is estimated that last year's yield will amount to between 1,400,000
and 1,600,000 pounds, which is greater than it was in 1013; but as the
ginning is done very slowly with small machines, not more than 40,000
or 50,000 pounds had actually been brought to the market by the end
of the year. None arrived until December and it is probable that the
full crop will not be received before May or June. No cotton is being
exported at the present time, but last year about $60,000 worth of the
1913 crop went to Russia, and about $20,000 worth to other Provinces of
Turkey. About 250,000 pounds of cotton are sold in this Vilayet each
year to be used in making rough cotton cloth and native prints. This
year, however, owing to the impossibility of exportation and to the
difficulty of importing cotton goods, much more than that amount will
probably be used in making native cloth. The price of last season's
cotton when it was first received was 20 piasters a batman (about 5
cents a pound). By the end of December it had advanced to 30 piasters a
batman (7 cents a pound). The average price here is 35 or 40 piasters a
batman (84 to 91 cents a pound).
+Production of Silk, Opium, and Fruit.+
The cultivation of silkworms is carried on in nearly every village
of the district. There are a number of small silk factories and most
of the production of this industry is used locally, but usually some
cocoons are exported each year to Marseille and some silkworm eggs to
Russia, Persia, and Roumania, while raw silk goes to several of the
other Provinces of Turkey. Last year there were no exports abroad in
this line and very little, if anything, sent to other Provinces. The
production of cocoons in this Vilayet was only about half what it was
in 1913, amounting to about 100,000 pounds (making 10,000 or 11,000
pounds of raw silk). One-fourth of this amount was used by one factory,
the only one of any size in the district, but this is now closed
because there is no market for its goods. A small amount was used by a
few other small factories and the remainder is on hand. The amount of
eggs last season was 30,000 ounces, the same as in 1913, of which 5,000
ounces were used here and the remainder is on hand.
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.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account