Indigo on the Land of Ryots
The ryoti system was a system where planters forced ryots to sign contracts, often pressurizing village headsmen to sign on their behalf. The contract provided cash advances at low interest rates to produce indigo, with the planter providing the seed and drill, and the cultivators preparing the soil and caring for the crop. The cycle of loans continued, with low prices for the indigo produced and no end to the loans. The planters also required indigo to be cultivated on preferred rice soils, and the deep roots of indigo quickly exhausted the soil, making it unsuitable for rice cultivation.
Chapter 3: Crops for Europe| Class 8 History Notes
Chapter 3 of Class 8 History “Crops for Europe” discusses how the British East India Company forced Indian cultivators to grow cash crops for export to Europe. The Company was particularly interested in indigo, which was used to dye cloth. India became the world’s largest supplier of indigo, and the Company invested heavily in its production. The chapter also discusses the other crops that the Company forced cultivators to grow, such as opium, tea, sugarcane, jute, wheat, cotton, and rice.
In this article, we will look into the topic of Crops for Europe in detail. It is an important topic of Class 8 History NCERT. Students can go through this article to get comprehensive notes on the topic of Crops for Europe.