"ملف 29/21 - III الإمدادات الغذائية الأرز" [و‎‎٤‎٦] (٧٢٠/٩١)

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Copy of departmental letter No, (E 9428/69/65) dated
the 23rd July, 1948, from the Eastern Department, Foreign .
O ffice, London, to the Persian Gulf Residency, Bahrain^ -
With reference to your letter No. 1573 (80/78A) of
the 16th June about the wheat situation in Bahrain, we
enclose herein a copy of a letter from the Ministry of Food
in this connexion.
We regret the del^y Ift implying to the fifth para
graph of your letter, btrt we expect Treasury comments thereon
very shortly. ./ —
.! *
Copy of
1948, from Mr.
1*
Portman Square
>
Office, London
.ten,- lib. GJ/. 581/1 dated the 8th July,
Shin^Ux, Ministry of Food, Portman Court,
>ndon W.l, to Mr. R.G. Dundas, Foreign
c j
Please refer to despatch No. 1573 (80/7SA) of 16
June, from the Persian Gulf Residency, Bahrain, a copy of
which was sent to Stewart on 25th June.
The I.E.F.C allocation of rice for British Middle
East Responsibilities for 1948 has already been divided
amongst the claimant territories leaving no balance. As no
claim was submitted by Bahrain we cannot supply rice to
the Shaikhdom this year unless we get a supplementary
jallocation and there seems to be no chance of this except
from U.S.A which woud presumably be ruled out as a source
of supply because the Bahrain Government have no dollars.
If Bahrain want an allocation of rice for 1949 they should
formulate their claim in good time - say October - and we
will see that it receives consideration. We shall be able to
let you have a copy of the I.E.F.C Rice Questionnaire for
transmission to Bahrain who would complete and return it
so that we can put it before I.E.F.C. ,
As regards the reported offer of Brazilian rice,
Brazil is a member of I.E.F.C and we should not/heitSdispose
of her rice to Bahrain who have no I.E.F.C allocatigji.^ ||
We do not understand the reference jS! if**ahe letter' of
3rd June, which accompanied the uespatch<of 16th June, to
a wheat quota of 710 tons a month for Bahrain. We are, and
have been sometime, supplying the Shaikhdom w r ith 780 tons a
month. We do not feel that w r e should be Justified in increas
ing this quota at present. Bahrain have only recently paid
for and received their w ? heat quota for April. 4 I do not know
whether the quotas for May, June and July have yet been
shipped, but if not they will be made available for shipment
as soon as payment has been made. Their deliver;, should
result in fairly comfortable wheat stock position in Bahrain.
If the Iraq Government decide to permit exports of
barley and if Bahrain do, in fact, need supplies of cereals
over and above the regular wheat quota the Bahrain Government
might obtain enough Iraqi barley by direct purchase to see then
through to the end of the year. We cannot at this stage
u ndertake to provide barley for Bahrain.