Book contents
- The Cambridge Economic History of Modern South Asia
- The Cambridge Economic History of Modern South Asia
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Contributors to Part 1
- Preface and Acknowledgements
- 1 Introduction to Part 1
- 2 Regions, States and Economies in Transition, 1750–1850
- 3 The Colonial Origins of India’s Service Sector Advantage
- 4 Agriculture
- 5 Industry
- 6 Small-Scale Industries
- 7 Trade and Finance
- 8 Business History
- 9 Regional Patterns of Economic Change
- 10 Regional Patterns of Economic Change
- 11 Regional Patterns of Economic Change
- 12 Regional Patterns of Economic Change
- 13 Political Economy
- 14 Law and the Economy
- 15 Infrastructure
- 16 Infrastructure
- 17 Population and Health
- 18 Education
- 19 Women, Wives and Workers
- 20 Labour
- 21 Internal Migration, c. 1850–2020
- 22 Colonial Cities and Urbanization
- 23 The Environment and the Economy
- 24 Princely States
- Transition to Part 2
- Index
- References
4 - Agriculture
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 21 February 2026
Book contents
- The Cambridge Economic History of Modern South Asia
- The Cambridge Economic History of Modern South Asia
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Contributors to Part 1
- Preface and Acknowledgements
- 1 Introduction to Part 1
- 2 Regions, States and Economies in Transition, 1750–1850
- 3 The Colonial Origins of India’s Service Sector Advantage
- 4 Agriculture
- 5 Industry
- 6 Small-Scale Industries
- 7 Trade and Finance
- 8 Business History
- 9 Regional Patterns of Economic Change
- 10 Regional Patterns of Economic Change
- 11 Regional Patterns of Economic Change
- 12 Regional Patterns of Economic Change
- 13 Political Economy
- 14 Law and the Economy
- 15 Infrastructure
- 16 Infrastructure
- 17 Population and Health
- 18 Education
- 19 Women, Wives and Workers
- 20 Labour
- 21 Internal Migration, c. 1850–2020
- 22 Colonial Cities and Urbanization
- 23 The Environment and the Economy
- 24 Princely States
- Transition to Part 2
- Index
- References
Summary
Agriculture was the main pillar of the Indian economy under British rule. Production increased in the second half of the nineteenth century, when the agricultural area expanded, the cultivation of cash crops spread, irrigation networks were extended and export of agricultural commodities increased. In the first half of the twentieth century, production stagnated as room for further area expansion vanished, technical breakthroughs to enhance per-acre yield were limited, and the public investment in infrastructure lost its momentum. Bengal and eastern Indian areas experienced the most stagnation, while Punjab and Madras continued to grow with improvement in land productivity, including shifts to higher-value-added crops. Nevertheless, on average, the absolute level of land productivity of major crops in colonial India lagged behind global standards of that time. The chapter suggests that limited resource endowments constrained by inadequate technical breakthroughs and institutional constraints, such as the structure of land rights, were the main causes of stagnation.
Information
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Cambridge Economic History of Modern South Asia , pp. 69 - 90Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2026
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