Question
Write a paragraph on why the British insisted on farmers growing opium in India.
Solution
The British insisted on farmers growing opium in India for the following reasons :
(i) Opium was, however, primarily known for its medicinal properties. In 19th century, there were great demands for the international commercial crops—Indigo and opium.
(ii) The British saw land revenue as a major source of government income. For this reason, they took several measures as increased revenue rates, and expand the area under cultivation. Opium cultivation naturally augmented the revenue of the colonial rulers.
First of all, Portuguese sent opium to China. It was mainly used in few medicines. But Chinese Government feared that Chinese people could become addict of it. So, Chinese king banned the production and sale of opium. Now British planned to illegally trade opium in China so that the expenditure on tea trade could be taken out. So, when they established their control on Bengal, then they insisted farmers on growing opium in India.
