Report to the ... Zionist Congress and to the Council of the Jewish Agency in ... · 1935-08-01 · 8.1935 · p. Seite 358

f* These yields were obtained after years of experimenting. The tendency to increase the production of their own food is prevalent in all the settlements. 8. Problems confronting the Farmers. (a) Cattle breeds. The question of selecting the most suitable cattle pedigrees requires a thorough investigation. Though the settlements have so far succeeded in breeding cows which produce a satisfactory yield of milk, yet we must not be misled into thinking that the settlers have already found the best type of cow suitable for all the zones in the country. The selection of breeds should aim at natural protection against the diseases prevalent in the country, an increase in the yield, and especially at evolving a type of breed suitable for the production of milk. At present the main income of the settlements is derived from the sale of milk and its liquid products (sour-milk, etc.). On the other hand, butter and cheese are imported from abroad, and unless the settlements will be in a position to produce cheap milk, they will not be able to compete with foreign imports. (b) The supply of cows to new settlers. The statistical figures prove that the existing settlements are not yet in a position to appear in the market as cattle dealers, for, as such, they would first have to extend their herds considerably. (c) Fodder for cattle. Efforts must be made to produce various kinds of fodder and to increase the yield of the fields of fodder, to cultivate pasture areas and to introduce a method for preserving green fodder. (d) Cattle-breeding for meat purposes. The present cattle-breeding in the country does not provide the meat requirements of the population. Since the beginning of 1935 about 2,500 head of cattle have been imported each month for slaughter. It is estimated that the import of cattle for slaughter in 1935 will entail an expenditure of £P. 500,000. Jewish agriculture will be in a position to become an important factor in the cattle market only when our colonisation work will embrace wide pasture areas rich in water. Measures ought to be taken in time for the preservation of the calves born in the settlements with a view to expanding this branch of work. (e) Consumption and Production. In the year 1933 milk and milk products amounting to £P. 119,938 were imported into the country, while in 1934 the imports amounted to £P. 237,916. The Tenuva Company in 1933 sold milk and milk products for the sum of £P. 134,483, and in 1934, for £P. 189,000. It is worthy of note that the Tenuva sold in 1934 in Jerusalem, Tel-Aviv and Haifa about 36 litres of milk and milk products per 358