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from the year 1331 up to 1336, from 158 to 446 million Afghanis. However, during the year 1336 as compared to 1335 Karakul exports declined from 25 per cent. to 23 per cent. of the country's total trade. On the other hand export of other commodities, such as cotton, is following a fluctuating pattern from a maximum of 320 million Afghanis to a minimum of 140 million. IMPORT TRADE OF AFGHANISTAN DURING the year 1336 the total imports of Afghanistan were 1,966 million Afghanis, while the country's exports during the same year were 18 million Afghanis more than the imports. The export trade consists of raw material, while the import products are mainly consumer goods and an increasing amount of capital goods. The variety of goods imported amounts to 306 commodities, ranging from nails and needles to trucks, turbines and tractors. Commodities using a substantial part of the foreign exchange earnings of the country are natural and artificial silk, amounting to almost 500 million Afghanis, cotton piece goods amounting to over 300 million Afghanis, sugar over 150 million Afghanis, vehicles over 150 million Afghanis, petrol almost 150 million Afghanis, tea over 100 million Afghanis and paraffin 25 million Afghanis. Between the years 1330 and 1336 the country's import trade has undergone a change, not only in volume, which has almost trebled, but also from the viewpoint of consumers. Cotton piece goods which formed 40 per cent. of Afghanistan's foreign trade in 1330 declined to 16 per cent. in 1336 and were replaced to a large extent by natural and artificial silk which rose from 5 per cent. to 25 per cent. The change in demand from cotton piece goods to artificial silk indicates the rise in income of the lower income groups. Import of vehicles during the same period went up to six times its former amount and gasoline to five times, this being an indication of increased economic activity. Import Statistics Commodity Groups Millions of Afghanis Food ... ... ... 295.14 Beverages and Tobacco ... 7.48 Inedible raw materials, except fuels ... 2.93 Mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials ... ... ... 139.50 Animal and vegetable oils and fats ... .35 Chemicals ... ... ... 49.09 Manufactured goods classified chiefly by material ... ... ... 1,068.55 Machinery and transport equipment ... 220.15 Miscellaneous manufactured articles ... 177.09 Miscellaneous transactions and commodities, not elsewhere specified 5.97 Grand total ... ... 1,966.25 During 1336, 30 per cent. of the import trade of Afghanistan came from the U.S.S.R., 20.6 per cent. from Pakistan, 18 per cent. from Japan, 11 per cent. from India, 8 per cent. from the U.S.A., 4 per cent. from Germany and 3 per cent. from England. The leading trade partners from whom the country received its supplies during 1336 were the U.S.S.R., Pakistan, Japan, India, the U.S.A., and Great Britain. Since 1330, imports from the U.S.S.R. into Afghanistan have increased by six times, from Pakistan by four times, from Japan by seven times, from the 97