Page 34 - SST Class 08

Commercialisation of Agriculture to the Zamindars created a class of wealthy

The British rule had pronounced and profound landlords; could make use of this ownership right
economic impact on India. The various eco- by sale or purchase of land. Agriculture, which
nomic policies followed by the British led to the had been way of life rather than a business
rapid transformation of India’s economy into a enterprise, now began to be practised for sale in
colonial economy whose nature and structure National and International markets.
were determined by needs of the British econ- Moreover, crops like cotton, jute, sugarcane,
omy. One important aspect of British economic ground nuts, tobacco, etc. which had a high
policy was commercialisation of agriculture. demand in the market were increasingly culti-
The commercialisation of agriculture means that vated. The beginning of the plantation crops like
the agricultural crops and goods are produced by tea, coffee, rubber, indigo etc. heralded a new
the peasants for sale in the market and not for era in agricultural practices in India.
their own consumption. Commercialisation of PEASANT REVOLTS
agriculture in India began during the British rule. In rural India, the British rule had far-reaching
The commercialisation of Indian agriculture took impact. Under the new administrative measures,
place not to feed the industries of India because the old agrarian system collapsed, new land
India was far behind in industrial development as tenures and new social classes like moneylend-
compared to Britain, France, Belgium and many ers, tax-collectors were created. And parasitical
other European countries of eighteenth century. intermediaries were emerged. Within a few
The commercialisation of Indian agriculture was decades of the British rule, the Indian peasantry
done primarily to feed the British industries that it soon came to be oppressed and exploited not
was taken up and achieved only in cases-of those only by the foreign rulers and their agents but
agricultural products which were either needed also by the native exploiters and urban based
by the British industries or could fetch cash capitalists.
commercial gain to the British in the European or Despite of bad condition of the peasantry, the
American market. peasant protest, revolts, riots and struggles were
For example, several efforts were made to mostly disorganised and localised. Their protests
increase the production of cotton in India to and revolts were launched mainly against
provide raw and good quality cotton to the enhancement of rent, evictions, usurious prac-
cotton-textile industries of Britain which were tices of money-lenders and exploitation and
growing fast after the Industrial Revolution in oppression of the plantation owners. Thus, the
Britain. Most of the plantations for commercial peasant movements in India were mainly anti-
crops were controlled by the English. The com- landlord, anti-moneylender and anti-foreigner.
mercialisation of Indian agriculture was initiated But, these movements did not gain, class con-
in India by the British through their direct and sciousness and could not become class move-
indirect policies and activities. ments, because they grew out of local grievances,
Firstly, the new land tenure system introduced in remained localised and had no regular
form of permanent settlements had made agricul- organsisation and leadership. However, the
tural land a freely exchangeable commodity. Champaran and Kheda satyagraha under the
Permanent settlements, by giving ownership right leadership of Mahatma Gandhi in 1918, opened
up possibilities of organising the peasants.

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