Question

Which of the following were the trade centre/s of the Dutch?
A. Agra
B. Karaikal
C. Cochin
D. All

Answer 1

Hint: The Dutch East India Company was established in 1602 in Indian subcontinent. It was a commercial enterprise aimed at taking control over the Indian Ocean sugar and spice trade. It had support from the Dutch Council and the crown.

Complete answer: The Dutch East India Company was also known as Verenigde Oost Indische Compagnie (VOC). It started with establishing factories at Masulipatnam, Surat, Bimblipatnam, Karaikal, Chinsurah, Cochin and a few other ports. These eventually emerged important in the trade network of the company.
Dutch started their conquest for monopoly through ousting rivals as Portuguese and going in for diplomatic alliances with the native rulers. Dutch trade network included spice trade from south-east Asian parts like Java, Indonesia and also the silk trade with China. All these purchases demanded either exchange of two goods or the payment in gold/silver bullions. The trade items would include luxury items as carpets, pearls, rubies, incense, coffee, tea, exotic plants and animals.
This was further encouraged by the Mughal Royal firmans that granted VOC permission to trade from Pipli to right up to Agra. This also made them a trade, paying no extra charges, choosing whatever route they want with complete freedom to do so. VOC therefore till the end of 17th c. remained a very profitable enterprise but gradually declined as it came in direct conflict with the British and their ally states.
Hence, option D is the correct answer.

Note: VOC was the first multinational corporation in the world and also the first-ever company to issue stocks, i.e., offering its shares to the public allowing them to invest. Also, it generated bills of exchange/bonds at 4% interest per annum to attract more investment.