Open In App

Indigo Cultivation

Improve
Improve
Like Article
Like
Save
Share
Report

Indigo cultivation is also referred to as Nij cultivation. With the increasing demand for indigo in countries in Europe, the East India Company in India looked for several opportunities for expanding the area under Indigo cultivation.

Last decades of the 18th century, indigo cultivation in the case of Bengal expanded very rapidly and Bengal indigo came to be dominated the world market. With the expansion of the Indigo trade, the officials of East India Company started investing in indigo production.

Indigo Cultivation in India

Indigo Cultivation in India

Indigo Cultivation

Indigo is a flowering plant. The leaves of the indigo plant when socked in water produce rich blue colour. That colour is used as a dye in industries and in the clothing industry. The tropical climate is the most suitable for the growth of plants. The cultivation of Indigo was very low due to the difficult conditions. Due to the low cultivation and the high demand, the price of Indigo was very high and hence cultivation of Indigo was highly economical and profitable. By the 13th century, Indian indigo was used in Italy, France and Britain for the manufacturing of clothes. A very small quantity of Indian Indigo reached the European markets and the price was very high. The French started cultivating Indigo in St Domingue, Caribbean Islands, Brazil. A large number of Indigo plantations were set up in Northern America. Towards the end of 18 th century, the demand for Indian Indigo had further increased due to a variety of reasons.  

The production of Indigo rapidly increased in the 18th century to meet the growing demand in European Countries. Indigo plantation officially began in the year 1777 and was started by Louis Bonnaud. This technique was first used in Bengal. Indigo cultivation was first started in the districts of Nadia, Pabna, Rangpur and Bengal. After seeing the huge profitability of the crop, the area under cultivation increased. Indigo cultivation began at Saldana near Hooghly. Due to the political conditions as the Nawabs were under the control of the  East India Company indigo became very profitable due to the enormous demand for blue dye in Europe. In 1788 about 30 per cent of the total Indigo of Britain was imported from India which grew to 95 per cent by the year 1810.

Methods of Indigo Cultivation

In general, there were two methods for the cultivation of Indigo which were known as the Ryoti system and the Nij system. 

Nij System

In this type of cultivation, the planters used their land to cultivate Indigo. The land in which they cultivated was either owned by them or leased by them from the Zamindar. They hired labourers to grow indigo. The indigo crop required high nutrition for healthy growth so for the cultivation of indigo on a large scale large area of land was required, for this, the land owned by peasants was bought or taken on rent leaving them without any means of leaving. The plantation was a labour extensive task. The availability of labour was a major problem due to the large-scale cultivation of Rice in the state. The nij cultivation on a large scale required bullocks and ploughs. Investing, purchasing and maintenance of plough and bullocks was not an easy task as the investment required was very high.  Due to all these problems, the land used for the cultivation of indigo under this system was not increased and accounted for only 25 per cent of the total land for Indigo. 

Ryots System

Generally, under the ryots system, Indigo cultivation was done by the ryots. The planters and ryots signed agreements or contracts to ensure transparency in the deal. The village headman was allowed to sign contracts on behalf of the ryots, this was a loophole in the agreement that was extensively used by the peasants as they forced the headman to sign the contracts. After the contract was signed, the ryots received advances from the planters in the form of cash. The interest rate of these advance payments was low when compared to the general market. The only condition laid by the Planters was that the ryots must cultivate indigo in at least 25 per cent of the land they owned. All the equipment and materials required for cultivation were provided by the planters. The rest of the work like sowing and harvesting was done by the ryots. This method contributed to about 75 per cent of the total Indigo produced. Continuous cultivation of indigo leads to the depletion of the natural nutrients of the soil. Due to this, the farmers wanted to cultivate rice but because of the economic benefits, the presents were in favour of the cultivation of Indigo. This conflict in the wants leads to widespread protests and fights among the Presents and farmers. This later came to be known as the Blue Revolution. 

Related Links

  1. Indigo Cultivation and Ryotes
  2. Land Revenue Systems in British India
  3. Policies of British rulers that led to the exploitation of the Indian Economy
  4. Settlement of Land during British Rule

FAQs on Indigo Cultivation

Q 1. What is the indigo crop used for?

Answer-

The main use of indigo is as dye for any cotton yarn and is used in the production of denim clothes.

Q 2. Where is Indigo cultivated in India?

Answer-

Indigo in India is mostly cultivated in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal and Rajasthan.

Q 3. Why was indigo cultivated?

Answer-

As indigo cultivation became more and more commercially profitable as the demand for blue dye was high in Europe.


Last Updated : 21 Jan, 2024
Like Article
Save Article
Previous
Next
Share your thoughts in the comments
Similar Reads