Question

(b) “During the colonial period the agricultural sector showed massive stagnation.”
Do you agree with the given statement? Justify your answer with valid arguments.

Hint:

Relate stagnation in colonial agriculture to exploitative policies, lack of infrastructure, and focus on cash crops for strong arguments.

Answer 1

Exploitative land revenue systems like Zamindari left farmers with little incentive to improve productivity. Forced cultivation of cash crops like indigo and cotton for export, leading to frequent famines due to food crop neglect. Lack of investment in irrigation, storage, and transportation infrastructure hindered agricultural growth. Widespread famines caused by exploitative policies and inadequate food crop production.