From a. consular statement of the fluctuations of the annual estimated produce of opium in Persia from the year 1868-9 to 1874-5, it appears that the' largest product of any one year did not exceed 2600 cases, an inappreciably small quantity, and in 1874-5, it had fallen to some 2000 cases. In the following year, there was a further decline, the exporta amounting to about 1890 cases. Since 1876-7, however, a reaction seems to have taken place ; in that year, 2570 cases were exported from Bushire and Bunder Abbas alone. In the early part of 1877-8, the probable yield of the crop was estimated at 3500, but the actual number exported from Bushire and Buuder Abbas amounted to 4730 cases. In the year 1878-9, the amount produced was stated to have been 6700 cases, while 5900 were shipped from these ports. The probable yield of the crops of the year 1879-80 was estimated to be as follows :—Khonoar, about 950 caaes ; Kerman, 300 ; Yezd, 1000 ; Ispahan, 2400 ; Nereez, 400 ; Shiraz, 1300 ; Kazran, 100 ; Shuster, 100 ; making a total of 6550 casea. In addition, about 300 shah mans, or say 550 cases, were expected to come to Yezd from Herat, making the whole stock about 7100 cases.
The values (in rupees) of the opium exports from Persia during the year 1879 were :—From Bushire : 1,50,000 to England, 2200 to Zanzibar, 50,00,000 to China, total 51,52,200 ; from Lingab 50 to the Arab coast of Persian Gulf, and Bahrein ; from Bahrein : 50 to Koweit, Busrah, and Bagdad.
The system of cultivation does not call for any special remark ; but it may be noted that the incisions in the heads are made in a vertical direction with diagonal branches. The crop comes to hand in May-June, and the greater part of the opium finds its way to the shipping-ports between Sep tember and January following. Since the attention of Persian merchants was attracted to the trade, about 25 years ago, there has been, with two or three exceptions, a gradual annual increase in the production of the drug, though not to such an extent as to be prominently noticeable. Now, the cultivation of the poppy and exportation of opium through Bushire and Bunder Abbas iocreasea rapidly ; the returns from Bushire for 1878 show an increase in value over the previous year of 1,754,000 rupees, the quality being also very superior to that of previous years. Great care is now taken to prevent adulteration, the cheats containing the opium being occasionally examined by experts. When the Persian opium trade was in its infancy, the drug was sent in sailing vessels to Java, and thence reshipped in steamers for Singapore and Hong Kong. The Dutch Government, however, having imposed restrictions at Java, Aden was subsequently selected as a port of trans shipment, and later Suez, at which port no duty is levied for trans-shipment. The Persian Steam Navigation Co. now send occasional steamers from the Gulf to Galle for conveyance of opium, when a sufficient quantity is collected.
The atrongest opium, called teriah-e-arabistani, is obtained in the neighbourhood of Dizful and Shuster, east of the Lower Tigris. Good opium is produced alao about Sari and Balfarush, in the
province of Mazauderan, as well as in the aouthern province of Kerman. The lowest quality, which is mixed with starch, &c., and sold in light-brown sticks, is made at Shahabdulazim, Kashan, and Kum. Quantities of opium are collected in Khokan and Turkestan. About 100 cases of opium in cakes are brought annually from Herat to the Yezd market. From Yezd also, a quantity of opium, prepared in the shape of small sticks and cylinders, is sent to Herat for consumption there. The whole produce of Ispahan and Fars is carried to Bushire. The produce of Khorasan and Kerman is taken to the Yezd market, and this, together with that of Yezd itself, is sent partly to Buahire and partly to Bunder Abbas. The Shuster opium is sent through Mohammerah direct, and sometimes via Bushire to Musaah for transmission to Zanzibar, but a part of it is supposed to be smuggled into the Indian frontier provinces via Mekran and Beloochistan. Small quantities of opium are said to be grown in Teheran, Tabreez, and Kermanshah, but these mostly find their way to Europe via, Turkey, Smyrna being the port where it is mainly taken to, and where it is mixed with the local drug, and forwarded to the Continental markets. Some Persian opium is carried overland to China, through Bokhara, Khokan, and Kashgar ; but the bulk now goes by sea. A considerable portion leaves the country by way of Trebizonde and Sainsoon, principally for Constantinople, where it ie worked up in imitation of the Asia Minor article, and adulterated ; the remainder comes directly to Great Britain.
About five-sixths of the total produce of Persian opium is intended for China. The drug suitable for that market being required to be fine, prepared with oil, and not rich in morphine, permits of its being swelled up with foreign substances, and thus adulterated as far as practicable, while precluding discovery by the mode of testing or " touching " used in China. It is said that pure and superior opium, though not so finely manipulated, has been rejected in China, while the fine opium, containing admixtures, has found favour and fair market. The preparations made for the China marts being, say, of a quality of 80 touch (containing 80 per cent. pure juice and 20 per cent. foreign substance) yield 9-10 per cent. morphine. Persian opium for the Chinese markets, where it is now assuming great importance, is made up in cakes, varying in weight from I lb. to 11 lb., and in number from 96 to 192 or more, and these are packed in fig or vine leaves, and sometimes in poppy seeds or stalks, into cases containing each 14-11 shah mans—a shah man (or more properly, batman-i shah) being equivalent to about 131i lb. The object in so packing in cases, as regards the weight, is that the contents, after the loss caused by drying up in course of transit, calculated at 5-10 per cent., may realize at its destination (China) 1 picul (1331 lb.). Another reason is that the weight is arranged for convenience of carriage by pack animals.