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# Rude Produce

## Definition

Raw materials in their natural state that require further processing before consumption, including agricultural products, minerals, and other natural resources extracted from land, mines, or fisheries. Rude produce forms the foundation of all economic activity as it provides the basic materials that must be transformed through manufacturing, transportation, or retail distribution to become consumable goods.

## Source Chapter

Book II, Chapter 5

## Context

Smith uses this concept to distinguish between raw materials and finished goods, establishing that all economic activity begins with the extraction or cultivation of natural resources. He positions rude produce as the starting point in his four-fold classification of capital employment, arguing that without adequate supply of rude produce, neither manufacturing nor trade can exist.

## Economic Domain

Production

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