Venezuela, an economic report / Presented by students of the School of Foreign Service, as an aid to the foreign trade of the United States

by Georgetown University. School of Foreign Service

Rubber trees when cultivated in a scientific manner yield an average of 95% of pure rubber, each tree producing about 460 grams of juice.

The exploitation of rubber in Venezuela may be considered as limited entirely to the gathering of the natural product on a small scale, as the many million acres producing rubber would require several million people to exploit them. The investment of capital on a large scale is required to develop this important industry. First and most important, labor must be induced to come to Venezuela in order to develop this immense natural resource now scarcely touched. The world demand for this product is great and rubber would undoubtedly be a profitable investment for American investors if undertaken in a systematic and technical way. It is estimated that not more than $1,200,000 are invested in the rubber industry in Venezuela.

SUGAR CANE

Sugar cane is indigenous in Venezuela and cultivated with good results. Lately, Sugar Cane Central Factories have been established to manufacture the products of the sugar cane. These plants equipped with the best modern improvements as to buildings and machinery have at their disposal sufficient capital to enable them not only to supply the home consumption but to export their products in considerable quantity.

The climate and the fertile soil of Venezuela are the principal factors in the production of sugar cane, as it grows everywhere in Venezuela except in mountainous parts lacking irrigation.

Four species of sugar cane are cultivated in Venezuela, namely: Criolla, the Otati, the Batavian and the Salangore.

The Criolla is cultivated to the largest extent on account of its sweetness and good results.

The planting and cutting of the sugar cane is controlled in such a manner that there is always in the plantations sufficient cane reaped and ready, in order to avoid interruptions in the grinding during the whole year round. To ensure this continuity of crops, the soil must be kept well irrigated at all times.

The region near the Lake of Valencia produces longer and thicker canes having more juice, but they contain less sweetness.