Agriculture: Citrus in Palestine before Nakba: Supplementing Volume I, Chapter IX, Pages 309 - 388. British Mandate: A Survey of Palestine: Supplement - Page 36

AGRICULTURE.

Supplementing Volume I, Chapter IX, pages 309-388.

CITRUS INDUSTRY.

(p. 337)

The distribution of citrus groves according to size is shown in the following table :

CITRUS GROVES DISTRIBUTED BY SIZE (1945).

Size

Under 51 Over 5 I Over 10 I Over 201 Over 50 I dunums under 10 under 20 under 50 under 100

347 3.1 22.5

Number of groves I % of total groves % of total urea

Over 100 dunums

1,560 I 2,807 I 3,006 I 2.444 -1 843 I

14.3 25.5 27.S 22.2 7.6

1.9 8.0 16.4 28.5 22.7

It will be seen that nearly 90% of the groves and 55% of the total area are under 12! acres in extent. Less than a quarter of the total area consists of 'groves of a size exceeding 25 acres.

Exports of citrus in the 1945/46 season, as reported by citrus exporters, were as follows :-

Citrus fruit

Export (cases)

Estimated value (b) F.O.B.

LP.

IN CASES Oranges Grapefruit

Lemons and other citrus

Total Export in Cases lN BULK

19,679.399 tons oranges equivalent to 100.545 tons grapefruit equivalent to 289.007 tons lemons and other citrus equivalent to

Total Export in Bulk-20,068.951 tons equivalent to

Total Export in Cases and in Bulk equivalent to (a.)

4,014,165 832,842 51,826

2,736,000 535,000 34,000

4,898,833

3,305,000

472,300 2,815

187,000 1,000

3,000

8,092

483,207

191,000

3,496,000(b)

5,382,040

The United Kingdom Ministry of Food took over 54% of the total cased exports.

(a) Excludes exports by the Army during June, 1945, and exports or citrus medica.

(b) Excludes value of containers (cases).

36