UNITED STATES TARIFF COMMISSION MASTIC Tariff Status Par. 1686. Mastic, which was free of duty under the Tariff Act of 1922, is free of duty also under the Tariff Act of 1930. Its duty-free status was bound in the trade agreement with Iran, effective June 1944, and in the Annecy agreement, which binding was not made effective on January 1, 1950. 2/ Preliminary. 1/ Virtually all of the imports are from Greece. Source: Official statistics of the U. S. Department of Commerce. Note.- Mastic is not produced in the United States, and there is no export of Mastic is the resinous exudation of certain trees of the Sumac family native to the Mediterranean coastal region. True mastic is produced by the species Pistacia Lentiscus; resins produced by other species of Pistacia are marketed as inferior grades of mastic, or as substitutes therefor, and are also covered by this summary. In the United States, mastic is used in the manufacture of specialty varnishes and lacquers, in some lithographic processes, for making adhesives, in medicine, and for other purposes. Mastic is not produced in the United States, nor are any resins directly competitive with it produced here. Mastic may compete to a limited degree with some synthetic resins produced domestically, but such competition is slight. Virtually all the world supply of mastic is produced on the Grecian island of Chios where the trees are cultivated. A small amount, however, is collected from wild trees on Cyprus and neighboring islands and marketed through Chios. Annual exports of mastic from Greece averaged more than 500,000 pounds, valued at approximately $250,000, in 1937-39. In those years Turkey was the largest market for these exports, taking about 30 percent of the total; Iraq, Egypt, France, and the United Kingdom were also major markets. Only about 4 percent of total exports from Greece in 1937-39 were to the United States. recent export data are not available. More Imports of mastic into the United States in 1937-39 averaged 20,000 pounds annually, valued at about $9,000; the average unit value of these imports ranged between 40 and 50 cents per pound (see table 1). No mastic was imported during the war. In 1946 imports returned to the prewar level in volume, but their value increased nearly fourfold; the average unit value of imports in 1946 was $1.73 per pound. In 1947, however, imports declined to only about 15 percent of the prewar average in quantity, and to about 60 percent in value; the average SUMMARIES OF TARIFF INFORMATION MYRRH (PAR. 1686) Tariff Status Par. 1686. Myrrh, which was free of duty under the Tariff Act of 1922, is free of duty also under the Tariff Act of 1930. Its duty-free status was originally bound in the trade agreement with the United Kingdom, effective January 1939; and similar binding was thereafter included in the trade agreement with Iran, effective June 1944, and in the Geneva agreement. Trade Statistics Table 1.- Myrrh: United States imports for consumption, 1/ Classified as British East Africa including British Somaliland, Seychelles and dependencies, and Mauritius and dependencies, 1937-39. 2/ Includes 29,344 pounds, valued at $8,075, from Aden. 3/ Preliminary. Source: Official statistics of the U. S. Department of Commerce. Note. There is no United States production or export of myrrh. 877032 O-50-5 UNITED STATES TARIFF COMMISSION MYRRH Comment Myrrh is the oleo-gum resin obtained as an exudation from Commiphora molzol, C. Abyssinica, and other species of the genus Commiphora. These species are small trees occurring in those areas of northeastern Africa and southern Arabia around the mouth of the Red Sea, including Somaliland, Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Yeman. The resin enters international commerce as irregular-shaped pieces, or tears, varying in color from dull yellow to dark or reddish brown, and covered with a light-colored yellowish dust. Myrrh is used principally in antiseptic mouth washes, for other medicinal purposes, and as an ingredient of incense and perfume. Myrrh is not produced in the United States, and it is not competitive with any domestic article. Most of the domestic requirements of myrrh are supplied by inports from British Somaliland (see table 1), but small quantities are also obtained from various countries of southern Arabia, or by transshipment from India or Europe. Imports averaged 42,000 pounds, valued at $11,000, annually during 193739. They increased sharply during the war, and the quantity brought in in 1943, (122,000 pounds) was the highest since 1928, while the value ($38,000) was the highest on record. During 1946-47 imports were at about the level of immediate prewar years, but in 1948 they were only 21,000 pounds, valued at $4,000. Reexports from the United States, if any, are probably negligible and are not separately reported. SUMMARIES OF TARIFF INFORMATION SANDARAC Tariff Status Par. 1686. Sandarac, which was free of duty under the Tariff Act of 1922, is free of duty also under the Tariff Act of 1930. Trade Statistics Table 1.- Sandarac: United States imports for consumption 1/ All from Morocco, including Tangier 1937-39 and French Morocco 1944-48. 2/ There were no imports in 1943 and 1947. 3/ Preliminary. Source: Official statistics of the U. S. Department of Commerce. Note. Sandarac is not produced in the United States and there are no domestic exports. 1 UNITED STATES TARIFF COMMISSION SANDARAC Comment Sandarac is a pale, brittle, transparent resin of relatively minor industrial importance. Most of the commercial sandarac is obtained from Tetraclinis articulata, a small conifer of northern Africa. It is obtained by tapping trees which are cultivated on the southern slopes of the Atlas Mountains in Algeria and Morocco and is shipped from the port of Mogador. Resin collected directly from the tree is of a higher grade than that which is collected after it has fallen to the ground around the tree. Smaller amounts of sandarac are produced in Australia by trees of the species Callitris; this resin is said to be identical with African sandarac. Sandarac is used in spirit varnishes for finishing metal, bookbinders' varnishes, and photographic lacquers, and as a constituent of incense and of dental cements, frequently in combination with other natural resins. Sandarac is not produced in the United States nor does the imported product compete directly with any domestic product. Imports of sandarac into the United States showed a sharp upward trend before the war and increased from 42,000 pounds, valued at $8,600, in 1937, to approximately 180,000 pounds, valued at $25,600, in 1939. During the war imports declined and in 1944 amounted to 44,000 pounds valued at $32,000. Postwar imports have shown considerable variation and amounted to 85,000 pounds and 48,000 pounds in 1946 and 1948, respectively. There were no imports in 1947. Because of a large increase in the average unit foreign value of sandarac, the total value of imports in recent years, although substantially below the prewar level in quantity, have greatly exceeded the value of imports in prewar years. There has been a fivefold increase in the unit foreign value of sandarac from an average of 16.5 cents per pound during 1937-39 to 83.7 cents per pound in 1948. |