Question

What were the reasons for the expansion of cultivation in the colonial period?
Explain any two.

Answer 1

Hint: Second half of the 19th century saw some increase in land under cultivation and agricultural production expanded. Under the British Raj in India, few Indian commercial crops—such as Cotton, indigo, opium, wheat, and rice—made it to the global market.

Complete answer: Within the colonial period, agricultural cultivation extended for an assortment of reasons. These are
(i) In Europe, food grains were required to nourish the developing urban populace. The request for wheat expanded to a great extent within the 19th century.
(ii) The colonial rulers considered agricultural cultivation as a sign of progress.
(iii) The British government specifically empowered the generation of commercial crops, like jute, sugar, wheat and cotton to urge more profit.
(iv) Europe required crude materials for mechanical production.
(v) Within the early 19th century, the colonial state thought that forests were ineffective so forests had to be brought beneath cultivation and land may abdicate agrarian items and income. In this way, the income of the state is enhanced. Thus, it can be concluded that the extension of development could be a sign of advance.

Note: Like so numerous other divisions of domestic industry, Indian horticulture was pulverized by British colonialism. The British changed the nature and structure of an industry that 80% of Indians considered their livelihood. A new class of proprietors developed that leased the land to farmers.