7/28/2019 British Rule Impact on Indian Agriculture
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Indian cultivators adopted primitive techniques in agricultural
production. They hardly used better cattle and seeds, more manure
and fertilizer and improved techniques of production. As discussed
earlier, the cultivators had little or no resource for improvement
of agriculture.The Government deliberately neglected
agriculture.
Though the peasants shouldered main burden of taxation, very
small part of their tax waspaid for improvement and modernization
of agriculture. The Government spent millions of rupees on the
railways to protect and promote the British trade interests. On the
other hand, very little was spent on irrigation and that was the
only field of Government investment.
The landlords took no personal interest beyond collection of
rent. They exploited thecultivators by rack-renting to enhance
their income and were unwilling to make any investment to increase
income by increasing productivity of land. Thus,
agriculturecontinued to be neglected grossly and stagnation of
agriculture was inevitable.
No less harmful were the effects of the natural calamities like
floods, droughts and famines.Repeated occurrence of those
calamities forced the peasants to give upon cultivation. There was
no attempt to bring about any preventive measures against the
natural calamities.
During early years of the British Rule nothing was done to check
or to regulate the flood water. No initiative was taken for
providing irrigation that could have insured agriculturalproduction
against droughts or scanty rainfall. Failure of crops for two or
more consecutive years took the dreadful shape of famine.
Neither the Government nor the landlords paid any attention to
prevent the devastation of the natural calamities. In India a good
harvest depended on a better monsoon with adequate was uncertain,
rainfall was irregular and natural calamities were inherent. The
Government was apathetic, the landlords were oppressive and the
cultivators were hopeless. Therefore,agriculture was left at the
mercy of nature.
Similarly, no improvement came in the agricultural technology.
Agricultural implements were ordinary and old. Wooden ploughs were
primarily used and cattle wastes constitutedthe manure. Use of iron
ploughs was rare and an inorganic fertilizer was unknown.
There was very little effort for creating educational awareness
among technologicaladvancement would have been an effective measure
to increase productivity. But thetechnological stagnation fastened
the decline in agriculture and ultimately poverty was
perpetuated for rural masses more specifically for the
peasants.
