Soviet Agricultural Trade 1955-61 (Classic Reprint)

Book excerpt: Excerpt from Soviet Agricultural Trade 1955-61 With the recent publication of official Soviet trade statistics for 1961 and the re-publication of the annual trade data for 1955-59 converted to the current ruble rate, it is possible to examine agricultural trade for 1955-61. During these 7 years both agricultural exports and imports increased greatly in value but not as much as total exports and imports. Agricultural exports fluctuated around 21 percent of total exports with a slight downward trend, and agricultural imports averaged about 25 percent of total imports with a more pronounced decline in relative importance. The changes from year to year in the value of agricultural exports were erratic because of the fluctuations of the important grain and cotton exports. Agricultural imports followed a con sistent pattern for the first 5 years of the period these years preceding the decline in imports from Communist China. This decline became precipitous in 1961 but was overweighed by a tremendous increase in raw sugar imports from Cuba and a doubling of raw rubber imports from Malaya. The major portion of the trade has been with the Bloc, although there is a tendency to extend and increase agricultural exports and imports outside the Bloc. Soviet foreign trade is a government monopoly reflecting not only commer ciel, but also financial and political decisions of the government. Annual and long-term trade plans, coordinated with many annual and long-term bilateral trade agreements between the Soviet Union and the majority of its trade partners, distinguish Soviet trade. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.