All About Coffee Part 40

COSTA RICA. English, French, and German capital was heavily invested in Costa Rica before the war, and all three nations were interested in the coffee trade. For many years England had maintained the lead as a coffee customer, and s.h.i.+pments continued in large volume after the war. The following figures are for the crop year ending September 30:

COFFEE EXPORTS FROM COSTA RICA 1903 1913 1921 Exported to Pounds Pounds Pounds United States 6,388,236 1,625,866 14,137,605 Great Britain 27,756,661 23,464,827 13,418,527 France 1,241,816 741,548 313,538 Germany 2,676,841 2,581,055 376,649 Other countries 147,925 288,521 1,155,066 ---------- ---------- ---------- Total 38,211,479 28,701,817 29,401,385

In 1900 total s.h.i.+pments were 35,496,055 pounds, of which 20,587,712 pounds went to Great Britain; 8,874,014 pounds to the United States; and 3,904,566 pounds to Germany.

"Other countries" in 1903 included Spain, 49,189 pounds; Italy, 4,104 pounds. In 1921, they included Netherlands, 837,496 pounds; Spain, 308,308 pounds; Chile, 9,259 pounds.

MEXICO. Mexico has naturally sent most of her coffee across the border into the United States, and she continued to do so during and after the war. But she had worked up a very important trade with Europe, chiefly with Germany; and German capital, and German planters and merchants were prominent in the industry. France and England also were interested in the trade, and purchased annually several million pounds. During the war, as shown by the exports in its final year, this trade almost entirely ceased, and the United States and Spain remained as the only consumers of Mexican coffee. Details of the after-war trade are not yet available in published statistics. In the following table, 1900 and 1918 are calendar years, and 1913 is a fiscal year.

COFFEE EXPORTS FROM MEXICO 1900 1913 1918 Exported to Pounds Pounds Pounds United States 28,882,954 28,012,655 23,816,044 Germany 10,074,001 10,461,382 Aus.-Hungary 163,934 30,864 Belgium 25,855 39,722 Spain 546,132 184,941 6,184,494 France 3,927,294 4,482,011 Netherlands 220,607 46,296 Great Britain 3,848,605 2,170,669 Cuba 467,201 37,921 171,527 Italy 157,653 347,758 Other countries 655,073 ---------- ---------- ---------- Total 48,314,236 46,469,292 30,172,065

In 1913 "other countries" included Panama, 342,131 pounds; Canada, 276,567 pounds; Sweden, 3,079 pounds; British Honduras, 33,179 pounds; Denmark, 112 pounds.

JAMAICA. The French, more than any other peoples in Europe, have cultivated a taste for coffee from the West Indies; and France normally has led all other countries in s.h.i.+pments from the larger producing islands, including Jamaica, although the island is a British possession.

In the year before the war, France bought nearly 4,000,000 pounds of Jamaican coffee, more than half the total production. In the year 1900-01 also she took about 4,000,000 pounds, leading all other countries. This trade was very much cut down during the war, but was not wiped out. As shown in the figures for 1918, England largely took the place of France in that year, and Canada increased her purchases several hundred percent.

COFFEE EXPORTS FROM JAMAICA 1901 (fis. yr.) 1913 1918 Exported to Pounds Pounds Pounds Great Britain 1,849,456 671,440 6,919,808 Canada 109,536 263,872 1,819,328 United States 2,976,512 802,032 643,888 France 3,958,304 3,743,264 729,120 Aus.-Hungary 104,272 303,296 Cuba 114,800 Barbados 226,464 26,992 Other countries 508,704 507,248 97,440 ---------- ---------- ---------- Total 9,621,584 6,517,616 10,236,576

"Other countries" in 1901 included British West Indies, 316,512 pounds.

In 1913, they included Netherlands, 125,216 pounds; Norway, 28,896 pounds; Sweden, 70,224 pounds; Italy, 46,592 pounds; Australia, 71,456 pounds.

HAITI. Prior to the taking over of the administration of the customs of Haiti by the United States, detailed statistics of the exports are almost wholly lacking. France took most of the annual production, continuing a trade that dated back to old colonial times. An American consular report says:

Before the war there was no market for Haitian coffee in the United States, practically the entire crop going to Europe, with France as the largest consumer. However, there has been for some time past a determined effort made to create a demand in the United States, and this is said to be meeting with ever-increasing success.

The actual success achieved can be measured by the following figures for the fiscal year ended September 30, 1920:

COFFEE EXPORTS FROM HAITI

Exported to Pounds United States 27,647,077 France 23,921,083 Great Britain 39,583 Other countries 10,362,351 __________ Total 61,970,094

These figures do not include 6,322,167 pounds of coffee triage, or waste, of which the United States took 2,028,352 pounds; France, 1,491,507 pounds.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. The comparatively small production of the Dominican Republic was divided among the United States and three or four European countries before the war. Since the war the exports have been scattered among the former customers in varying amounts. Germany is again a buyer, although her purchases have not come back to anything like the pre-war level.

COFFEE EXPORTS FROM THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

1906 1913 1920 Exported to Pounds Pounds Pounds United States 564,291 506,456 529,831 France 569,215 1,248,418 454,165 Germany 1,562,193 327,843 69,224 Italy [B] 195,294 51,543 Cuba [B] 25,628 132,569 Great Britain [B] 660 54,114 Other countries 221,028 8,154 70,220 _________ _________ _________ Total 2,916,727 2,312,453 1,361,666

[B] No s.h.i.+pments, or included in "other countries."

"Other countries" in 1920 included only the Netherlands.

PORTO RICO. In spite of several attempts on the part of Porto-Rican planters to make their product popular in the markets of the United States, the American consumer has never found the taste of that coffee to his liking. The big market for the Porto-Rican product has been Cuba, which has depended on her neighbor for most of her supply. This demand takes a large part of the annual crop, including the lower grades. The better grades, before the war, went largely to Europe, mostly to the Latin countries. During the war, the Cuban market carried the Porto-Rican planters through, although s.h.i.+pments of considerable size continued to go to France and Spain. Recovery of the pre-war trade with Europe, however, has been slow, Spain being the only country to take over 1,000,000 pounds in 1920. s.h.i.+pments to that country totaled 3,472,204 pounds; those to France, 900,868 pounds. Both countries increased their purchases considerably in 1921.

COFFEE EXPORTS FROM PORTO RICO

1900-01 (fis. yr.) 1913 1921 Exported to Pounds Pounds Pounds United States 29,565 628,843 211,531 France 3,348,025 6,020,170 1,625,065 Spain 2,590,096 6,851,235 5,705,932 Aus.-Hungary 386,158 6,729,726 Germany 493,891 876,315 363,993 Belgium 9,964 25,867 234,019 Italy 611,033 3,498,157 43,484 Netherlands 8,860 497,938 25,199 Sweden 32,390[C] 633,046 266,550 Cuba 4,633,538 23,179,690 21,135,397 Other countries 13,720 393,586 356,709 _________ _________ _________ Total 12,157,240 49,334,573 29,967,879

[C] Includes Norway.

HAWAII. The war disarranged Hawaii's coffee trade very little, as she had for many years been s.h.i.+pping chiefly to continental United States.

Recently a considerable trade with the Philippines has developed.

COFFEE EXPORTS FROM HAWAII

1901-02 (fis. yr.) 1913 1921 Exported to Pounds Pounds Pounds United States 1,082,994 3,393,009 4,183,046 Canada 77,900 10,200 11,355 j.a.pan 24,155 49,167 23,950 Germany 2,100 1,612 Philippines [D] 932,640 747,700 Other countries 23,349 49,179 13,070 _________ _________ _________ Total 1,210,498 4,435,807 4,979,121

[D] No exports, or included in "other countries."

ADEN. Lying on the edge of the war area and on the road to India, Aden felt the full force of the disarrangement of commercial traffic by the war. Ordinarily, Aden is not only the chief outlet for the coffee of the interior of Arabia--the original "Mocha"--but it is also the trans.h.i.+pping point for large amounts from Africa and India. The figures given below relate for the most part to this trans.h.i.+pped coffee. Exports of coffee from Aden go chiefly to the United Kingdom, France, and the United States, and to other ports of Arabia and Africa. Before the war no great proportion went to the Central Powers. The following figures apply to fiscal years ending March 31:

COFFEE EXPORTS FROM ADEN

1901 (fis. yr.) 1914 (fis. yr.) 1921 (fis. yr.) Exported to Pounds Pounds Pounds Great Britain 1,563,632 696,976 466,928 United States 2,412,368 4,300,128 2,507,344 France 3,789,296 2,975,840 814,016 Egypt 1,024,576 3,108,336 Arab. Gulf Pts. 860,160 852,320 606,592 Germany 247,184 465,136 Aus.-Hungary 341,152 553,952 Italy 197,568 811,664 7,504 Br. Somaliland 280,224 23,408 [E] Africa 337,344 2,390,640 292,880 Other countries 1,114,848 2,500,456 1,659,504 _________ _________ _________ Total 12,168,352 15,570,520 9,463,104

[E] Including adjacent islands, but exclusive of British territory.

"Other countries" in 1914 included Australia, 222,320 pounds; Perim, 142,016 pounds; Zanzibar, 148,848 pounds; Mauritius, 154,672 pounds; Seych.e.l.les, 116,704 pounds; Sweden, 118,720 pounds; Norway, 49,168 pounds; Russia, 196,448 pounds. In 1921, they included Denmark, 120,624 pounds; Spain, 124,208 pounds; Ma.s.sowah, 410,704 pounds.

BRITISH INDIA. As India's trade before the war was chiefly with the mother country, with France, and with Ceylon, the return to normal has been rapid. In the year following the war, these three customers were again credited with the largest amounts exported from India, except for s.h.i.+pments to Greece, which took little before the war. The following figures are for the fiscal years ending March 31:

COFFEE EXPORTS FROM BRITISH INDIA

1901 (fis. yr.) 1914 (fis. yr.) 1920(fis. yr.) Exported to Pounds Pounds Pounds Great Britain 15,678,768 10,343,536 8,138,144 Ceylon 1,088,528 1,428,112 1,423,072 France 8,430,016 10,924,816 9,256,352 Belgium 617,792 1,021,664 Germany 126,560 1,033,088 25,312 Aus.-Hungary 123,312 1,358,896 8,400 Italy 23,968 22,624 30,912 United States 54,096 16,576 Turkey in Asia 232,176 501,984 986,720 [F] Africa 118,272 113,344 619,696 Other countries 1,106,784 2,360,736 10,021,648 ---------- ---------- ---------- Total 27,600,272 29,108,800 30,526,832

[F] Including adjacent islands.

"Other countries" in 1914 included Netherlands, 238,560 pounds; Australia, 748,608 pounds; Bahrein Islands, 757,568 pounds. In 1920, they included Greece, 6,487,376 pounds; Australia, 481,152 pounds; Bahrein Islands, 1,081,696 pounds; Aden and dependencies, 459,984 pounds; other Arabian ports, 890,176 pounds.

DUTCH EAST INDIES. The war played havoc with the coffee trade of the Dutch East Indies, taking away s.h.i.+pping, closing trade routes, and causing immense quant.i.ties of coffee to pile up in the warehouses. When the war ended, this coffee was released; and trade was consequently again abnormal, although in the opposite direction from that it took during war years. The 1920 figures indicate that the trade is working back into its old channels.

COFFEE EXPORTS FROM DUTCH EAST INDIES 1900 1913 1920[G]

Exported to Pounds Pounds Pounds Netherlands 81,489,000 33,323,748[H] [H]50,028,815 Great Britain 88,000 981,201 5,987,598 France 2,560,000 9,081,715[H] 5,410,582 Aus.-Hungary 1,153,000 996,988 Germany 71,000 997,715[H] 75,699 Egypt 5,494,000 104,868 1,418,313 United States 8,408,000 5,695,180 17,274,522 Singapore 9,952,000 4,785,580 8,349,415 Other countries 2,965,000 7,831,732 10,475,509 ----------- ---------- ----------- Total 112,180,000 63,798,727 99,020,453

[G] These figures cover only Java and Madura.

[H] Includes s.h.i.+pments "for orders."

"Other countries" in 1920 included, Norway, 2,606,421 pounds; Sweden, 728,580 pounds; Australia, 1,553,495 pounds; British India, 1,912,541 pounds; Italy, 1,964,109 pounds; Denmark, 1,191,643 pounds; Belgium, 166,092 pounds.

[Ill.u.s.tration]

[Ill.u.s.tration: COFFEE TREE IN BEARING AT THE GOVERNMENTAL EXPERIMENT STATION AT LAMOA, NEAR MANILA, P.I.]

CHAPTER XX