Why the Demand for Indian Indigo?
Indian indigo, a plant mainly found in the tropics, was used by cloth manufacturers in Italy, France, and Britain to dye cloth in the 13th century. However, due to high prices and competition from woad, European cloth manufacturers had to rely on another plant, woad, for violet and blue dyes. Woad producers in Europe pushed governments to ban indigo imports, but cloth dyers preferred indigo due to its rich blue color. By the 17th century, European cloth producers relaxed the ban, allowing indigo to be grown in various locations, including St Domingue, Brazil, Jamaica, and Venezuela. The demand for indigo increased as Britain industrialized and expanded its cotton production, creating a new demand for cloth dyes. However, existing supplies from the West Indies and America collapsed, leading to a half-fold decrease in indigo production between 1783 and 1789.
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.