Question

Why were peasants in the $19th$ century unwilling to cultivate opium in India?

• A. The price paid by government was very low
• B. The plant was delicate
• C. The cultivators were poor
• D. All the above

Answer 1

The correct option is D All the above

1. First, the crop had to be grown on the best land, on fields that lay near villages and were well manured. If they planted opium on this land, then pulses could not be grown there.

2. Second, many cultivators owned no land. So they need to rent land to cultivate

3. Third, the cultivation of opium was a difficult process. The plant was delicate, and cultivators had to spend long hours nurturing it.

4. Finally, the price the government paid to the cultivators for the opium they produced was very low.