Ruling the Countryside — Social Studies STD 8 — Question
CBSE BoardEnglish MediumSTD 8Social StudiesRuling the Countryside4 Marks
Question
What was the problem with nij cultivation?
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Answer
The problem with nij cultivation was that the planters found it difficult to expand the acre under nij cultivation.
Indigo could be cultivated only on fertile lands, and these were all already densely populated. Only small plots scattered over the landscape could be acquired.
Planters needed large areas incompact blocks to cultivate indigo in plantations. They attempted to lease in the land around the indigo factory, and evict the peasants from the area. But this always led to conflicts and tensions.
Nor was labour easy to mobile. A large plantation required a vast number of hands to operate. And labour was needed precisely at a time when peasants were usually busy with their rice cultivation.
Nij cultivation on a large scale also required many ploughs and bullocks. Quebigha of indigo cultivation required two ploughs. This means that a planter with 1,000 bighas would need 2,000 ploughs. Investing on purchase and maintenance ploughs was a big problem. Nor could supplies be supplies he easily get from the peasants since their ploughs and bullocks were busy on their rice fields, again exactly at the time that the indigo planters needed them.
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