Question

“The Indian agricultural sector during the British rule was saddled with low productivity.”

In the light of the above statement, briefly explain any two reasons behind the low productivity in the Indian agricultural sector.

Hint:

Land settlement systems gave the profit to zamindars so farmers had no money or reason to invest. Irrigation was poor and technology was low.

Answer 1

Step 1: Understand the question:
Under British rule, Indian agriculture gave very low yield per hectare. We need any two reasons.

Step 2: Reason 1: land settlement system:
The colonial government introduced land settlement systems such as the zamindari system.
The profit from agriculture went to the zamindars and not to the cultivators.
So farmers had neither the resources nor the incentive to invest in agriculture. This kept productivity low.

Step 3: Reason 2: lack of irrigation and low technology:
There were very few irrigation facilities, so farming depended on the monsoon.
The technology in use was old and the use of fertilizers was very low.
This added to the plight of farmers and kept productivity at an abysmally low level.

Final Answer:
Two reasons for low productivity were the land settlement system, which killed the incentive to invest, and the lack of irrigation and modern technology.