14. RICE PRODUCTION IN LATIN AMERICA. The use of rice as an article of food is more uniformly widespread in Latin America than in the United States. It is the mainstay of the laboring classes, and, by itself or incorporated with other foods, is found, as well, on the tables of the wealthy. From the universal demand for this cereal, it is found to a greater or less extent in all of the Latin American states, with the greatest acreage in Brazil, where its cultivation is mentioned as early as the middle of the 15th century. From the days of its earliest production it has been a subject of government control and encourage ment. At the pres6nt time it is being fostered by the Ministry of Industry and Agriculture, whose efforts are directed to an increased pro duction to reduce the cost of living—a real service in view of the fact that the greater part of wheat and other breadstuffs is imported. Under the auspices of this ministry there was published in 1914 a comprehensive work on the subject by Dr. L. Granato, entitled and in connection with the conclusion of ar rangements for a direct shipping line between Brazil and Japan, plans were perfected for the introduction of several thousand laborers to be employed in accordance with the regulations of the national authorities in the cultivation of rice, etc.* With experienced labor and the nat ural facilities offered by the Brazilian climate, lands and natural streams adaptable for irri gation uses, the future of the country as a rice producer is promising.
Brazil.—The chief rice-raising state of Brazil is Sao Paulo. In 1912 its crop amounted to 222,992,643 pounds, 1913, 178,013, 824 pounds, and 1915, 192,000,000 pounds. Of the other states, Minas Geraes, producingabout J half as much as Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Sul, Ceara, Parahyba, Santa Catharina, Maranhao, Path and Espirito Santo follow in the order named. The total production of the whole of Brazil was estimated in 1911 at 15,823,372 bushels, a figure that is exceeded at the present time. Due to the domestic demand, only a negligible quantity of rice is exported, but a large amount is imported each year, the quantity for 1913 being 17,110,195 pounds, and for 1914, 14,377,073 pounds, of which about 70 per cent was purchased in India, the remainder coming principally from Germany, the United Kingdom and The Netherlands. Of purchases
from the United States the quantity in 1912 was 191 pounds, valued at $8; 1913, 13,530 pounds. valued at $636; 190 pounds, valued at $9; 1915, 274,104 pounds, valued at '41,784; 1916, 700,574 pounds, valued at $26,904; and 1917, 126,429 pounds, valued at $4,973. Due to the high customs duties and surtax, amount ing to about 33 cents per pound, the cost of the low and medium grades of foreign rice when offered on the domestic market is too high to be able to compete with the local cereal of the same quality and the greater part of all the imports consists of the fancy high-priced grain, the favorite grades being those known as the Patna and Siam.
Argentina.— In accordance with the policy of the government in its scheme for the en couragement of national industry, to make the country self supporting, the Ministry of Agri culture of Argentina has lent its assistance to the rice-growing industry, which has long passed its experimental stage. Due to climatic fitness, the northern part of tile republic has seen the greatest development. In a special re port by the United States consul at Rosario (15 June 1915) to Washington, it was stated that approximately 12,000 acres were under rice cultivation at that time, a decrease from the 19,664 acres shown by the government statistics of 1908. Of this latter the number of acres de voted to rice in the various provinces and ter ritories was divided as follotvs: Santa Fe, 5,421; Tucuman, 4,823; Buenos Aires, 2,469; C6rdoba, 1,997; Entre Rios, 1,838; Misiones, 1,530; Salta, 598; Jujuy, 526; Pampa, 334; San Juan, 54; Corrientes, 54; La Rioja, 10 and Santiago del Estero, 10. In a supplemental re port (2 June 1916), certain changes are indi cated in the localities of production, Tucuman, Salta and Jujuy being mentioned as the prin cipal producers, with cultivation on a smaller scale in San Juan, Mendoza, La Rioja, Cata marca, Corrientes, the Chaco and Misiones.