Coll 28/67 ‘Persia. Annual Reports, 1932–’ [‎125v] (250/644)

(6) Tehran Electric Power Scheme.
450. The contract for the central power plant at Tehran is understood to
have been placed, after protracted negotiations, with the Skoda group, which
undertook to export Persian produce to a value equivalent to the amount ol
the order.
(7) Agriculture.
451. Attention is being concentrated on the technical crops forming a basis
for industries, viz., sugar beet, tobacco, tea, jute. Branches of the Agricultural
Bank were set up to encourage these productions, as well as silk, and financial
assistance was given as well as encouragement for the formation of companies
for development.
452. The sugar beet crop was more successful, the area under cultivation
being 4,800 hectares, and production stated to be about 70,000 tons. In order to
provide raw material for the new sugar factories under construction or planned,
it is hoped to increase the area under beet to about 15,000 hectares by 1937.
453. To a certain extent the increase in beet cultivation is being effected at
the expense of that of rice . The professed reason for this is a desire to combat
malaria, but the real reason is believed to be that of finding a market in the
interior of the country for the rice of Mazanderan, grown mainly on the Shah’s
estates, and so to reduce the dependence on the Soviet Union, at present the only
considerable buyer for the rice crops.
454. The area under tea in Gilan continues to increase under Government
encouragement, and four Chinese experts are still employed for this purpose by
the Government. A company with a capital of 3 million rials (£37,500) has
been formed to develop tea plantations, and factories for drying the tea are being
acquired. The encouragement of the Department of Agriculture is to a certain
extent being undermined by the excessive zeal of the Ministry of Finance, as it
was reported towards the end of the year that new taxation was discouraging
further planting. Tea producers were also adversely affected by the new regula
tion regarding packing of imported tea and of locally-grown tea. Previously
they had mixed their tea with foreign tea, imported in bulk, in order to improve
the flavour, but they are now being compelled to take their own tea to be packed
under official supervision. Similar complaints regarding the taxation of
locally-grown tobacco were also reported.
455. Press reports stated that the date crop in 1934 was 50 per cent, larger
than that of 1933. His Majesty’s consul at Shiraz, however, reported that
distress was being experienced in the Jahrum-Darab-Fasa area owing to the
failure of the local date crop.
456. Owing to late and heavy rains in the spring, the wheat and barley
harvests were well above average in most parts of the country.
V.—Opium.
457. Early in the year the exclusive right to export opium was granted, as
from the 2nd February, to the Persian Opium Export Monopoly Company, which
was formed in Tehran with a capital of 20 million rials (£250,000). Of this
sum 18 million rials (£225,000) was subscribed by the Government, provision for
this sum being made in the budget for the current year. For shipments to Europe
it is understood that a special rate of £112, delivered at destination, has been
fixed, presumably for the chest of the usual size of 160 pounds; the export
certificates for such shipments belong to the Monopoly Company. For shipments
to the Far East a price of 6,500 rials (£81 5.9.) per chest is quoted, to which must
be added a Government export tax of £60, making the price delivered at Bushire
about £141 5s. Export certificates for these shipments, calculated on price plus
tax, accrue to the exporters.