Coll 28/41 ‘Persia. Trade Reports. Kerman 1924–’ [‎39r] (77/313)

3
February last. The methods of agriculture and fer
tilization of soil are still primitive.
On account of the scarcity of rain upon which
the agriculture of the province mainly depends
the year under report may be considered a year of
agricultural depression. Had it not been for the
boom in the carpet industry and trade there would
n ^» been famine. The wheat crop was not bad,
yet the prices were higher than in the previous
year. At the present time there is a scarcity of
wheat and bazaar bread is made from a mixture
of wheat and barley flour, and even this is diffi
cult to procure; Livestock in the country has
greatly reduced.
The chief agricultural products of the province
are cereals, also cotton, pistachios, almonds and
opium.
More attention is now being paid to promote the
cultivation of pistachio trees in the Kerman and
Rafsinjan areas, and of Henna and Indigo in the
Bam and Narmashir districts. With a view to
meeting the requirements of the newly established
spinning factory An East India Company trading post. (Khorshid Spinning Mill at
» Kerman) cotton is now being grown on extensive
areas of land in the vicinity of Rafsinjan and Bias,
instead of opium.
No new crops were introduced during the year
except beetroot and spices, which are being cul
tivated as an experiment in the Jeeruft area. The
prices of articles of foodstuff are fixed by the local
Baladiyeh but in most cases, these are seldom
adhered to by the shop-keepers.
Industry.
The chief industry of the Kerman province is
carpet weaving. The total amount of exports in
Kerman carpets and tribal rugs during the year
was Rials 9,949,000 (£124,362) as compared with
Rials 9,596,000 (£119,950) in the previous year.
As this industry employed nearly three-fourths of
the inhabitants of the province, its slump in the
early part of the year adversely affected all classes.
On the formation of the Carpet Monopoly Company
at Kerman in the middle of the year, there was
a certain amount of excitement amongst the local
representatives of the European and American
firms, which immediately placed comparatively
large orders with the Weavers for carpets so that
these would be ready for shipment out of the coun
try before the 20th March 1937, this being the date
on which the Monopoly Carpet Company would
begin to function. It was said that after the above
date all carpet trade woidd be carried on through
the agency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, headed by an agent. of the above Company and that all
trade by private traders would be discontinued
but it remains to be seen how far this scheme will
mature specially since the death of the Minister of
Finance.
The machinery for the Khorshid Spinning Mill
of Kerman has arrived from Germany and it is
hoped that the factory’ will begin to function in the
early part of 1316. Three German Engineers have
been employed by the company to instal the machi-*
nery. The projects for promoting the indigo inr
dustry at Bam; and of founding a hat factory An East India Company trading post. at
Kerman have not yet materialized.
The output of Mr. Khunji’s Cording and Spin-t
ning Mill at Bandar Abbas is about 3,600 lbs. of
yarn and twist per day.
At Kerman, the Harandi electric plant is wor
king satisfactorily, At Bandar Abbas the Go
vernor has not yet succeeded in forming a Company
for the importation of a new electric plant. The
old system of quarrying the red oxide mines at
Hormuz is still adhered to.
The Sherkat Namak has met with success in its
task of working the salt mines at Namakdan (Kishm).
In the province of Kerman, the working of Coal
mines in the Badamu hills, and that of Marble
Mines at Rayin have virtually ceased.
The rearing of silk worms in Kerman is gradu
ally improving, and more mulberry trees are being
planted for the purpose.
At present there appears to be no prospect for i
immediate demand for foreign machinery.
Transport.
Kerman is connected by motor road with (1)
Yezd, Isfahan and Tehran, (2) Sirjan-Bandar
Abbas. This route is gradually gaining popu
larity over the Zahidan route on account of. the
Indian Customs House at Nok Kundi, (3) Bam-
Zahidan. The Sirjan Shiraz route via Niriz is
seldom used on account of insecurity, scarcity of
water, petrol and other necessaries of life. The
mail service between Kerman and up-country
trade centres was well maintained during the year.
Towards the close of the year the bi-weekly mail J
service between Kerman and Bandar Abbas was
very irregular owing to friction between the Pos
tal department and the Contractor. The Kerman-
Jeeruft, and Karman-Shahdad roads have not yet
been improved. The old motor roads have beem
well kept and perfect security prevailed. Animal
transport is used only between the places where
no motor roads exist, otherwise motor lorries are
the principal means of transport. The transport
rates fluctuate according to the seasons of the year.
The transport rates between Kerman and the prin
cipal Iranian towns were the same as those quoted
in last year’s report.
State Undertakings.
The Government has aimed at official control
of trade and other undertakings, and to achieve
this end Companies have been, and are still being
formed throughout the country. To these Com
panies, the Sole Monopoly is granted of dealing
in specific undertakings of the Government. As a