Page 2 - Worksheet 2

6 Why were ryots reluctant to grow indigo ? (NCERT Exercise Question) 3 35
Ans :
 The ryoti system was very harsh on the cultivator. The price paid by the
planters was very low hence they could not pay back the loans and hence
got trapped in the loan cycle.
 Cultivators were forced to grow indigo in the best soil as a result of which,
they could not grow rice which is a basic food crop.
 The roots of the indigo plant go deep into the soil and exhausted its
fertility making it unfit for rice cultivation.
7 What were the problems faced by the nij cultivators? 5 32-33
Ans :
The problem with nij cultivation were as follows:
 Planters found it difficult to expand the area under nij cultivation.
 Indigo could be cultivated only on fertile lands, and these were all
already under rice cultivation. Only small plots scattered over the
landscape could be acquired.
 Planters needed large areas in compact blocks around the indigo factory
which required eviction of the peasants from the area which always led to
conflicts and tensions.
 Labour shortage. 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
since the ploughs and bullocks were busy on their rice fields, again exactly
at the time that the indigo planters needed them.