Why were Indian farmers reluctant to grow opium?

Indian farmers were reluctant to grow opium due to the following factors:

(i) First, the crop had to be grown on the best available land, on fields that lay near villages and were well-manured. On this land, peasants usually produced pulses. If they planted opium on this land, then pulses could not be grown there, or they would have to be grown on inferior land where harvests were low and uncertain.

(ii) Second, many cultivators had no land. To cultivate, they had to pay rent and lease land from landlords. And the rent charged on good lands near villages was very high.

(iii) Third, the cultivation of opium was a difficult process. The plant was delicate and cultivators had to spend many hours nurturing it. So they did not have enough time to care for other crops.

(iv) Finally, the price the government paid to the cultivators for the opium was very low. It was unprofitable for the cultivator to grow opium at that price.