'Military report on Tehran and adjacent Provinces of North-West Persia (including the Caspian Littoral)' [‎170r] (344/610)

In the Caspian province towns of Rasht, Enzali in Gildn, and
Bdrfarush in Mdzandardn.
The supply of Wood, Charcoal, Rice and Fish is unlimited.
Wheat and Barley are imported from hill districts and are only
obtainable in towns or the larger villages.
Barley bhitsa is scarce and rice straw is substituted for it.
Local animals are rice fed. Supplies are more plentiful and
more easily fetched to Mazandaran than to Gilan owing to the
greater width of the wheat, barley and flock producing hill
districts to the South of the Mazandaran plain.
In country districts.
The Persian peasantry generally are well fed and their
standard of living is much higher than in India. Their stock
of foodstuffs, however, except in the more productive districts
(see page 282) is as a rule little surplus to their own needs, and
while a small party of travellers can always obtain plenty of
good and varied food, the provision of supplies for troops is rather
difficult at short notice. The figures given by Colonel Stevenson
for supplies obtainable at one month’s notice along the j Hamadan-
Kazvm-Enzali road are an indication of the quantity obtainable
on the Persian Plateau. For remarks about supplies in the
Elburz and Caspian Provinces see Chapter 10, pages 424-426.
Prices of Supplies. —Prices of food stuffs in Persia have been
rising for several years and their increase has been accentuated
since 1914 owing to the presence of foreign armies in the country,
and culminated in the famine year of 1917-18, when the price of
wheat in some'places, e.g., at Sultanabad (’Iraq), exceeded 250
tumans per kharvar (650 lbs). Since 1917, although the area
of cultivation is smaller than in pre-war years owing to reduc
tion in the population, diminution of the ploughing oxen by
rinderpest, and other causes the harvests have been good
and prices falling. In the autumn of 1918 the Supply officer
at Kazvin purchased wheat and barley at 70 and 50 tumans
per kharvar respectively until the grain was requisitioned at
45 and 35 tumans. Prices continued to fall through 1919 and
in the autumn of 1920 wheat averaged 18 and barley 10 tumans
per kharvar. The cost of living is, however, still extremely
high and‘in excess of other countries. Prices of the principal
commodities at the chief centres in this area are given on the
next page.
Prices of
Supplies.