3.2.5. The problem with nij cultivation

The planters found it difficult to expand the area under nij cultivation. Indigo could be cultivated only on fertile lands, and these were all already densely populated. Only small plots scattered over the landscape could be acquired. Planters needed large areas in compact blocks to cultivate indigo in plantations. Where could they get such land from? They attempted to lease in the land around the indigo factory, and evict the peasants from the area. But this always led to conflicts and tension.

Nij cultivation involved growing indigo on land directly controlled by planters. However, suitable land was scarce because the best fertile lands were already occupied by a dense population. Planters aimed for large contiguous plots, but they could only acquire small, scattered plots. Their attempts to lease nearby land often resulted in disputes with local peasants, leading to further tensions.

Imagine a chef wanting to open a restaurant that requires a large space. However, every available location is already filled with other businesses. The chef may try to convince existing businesses to move, but this will create anger and disagreement among everyone involved, illustrating the difficulty of acquiring space.

Nor was labour easy to mobilise. 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 not only required land but also significant labor. Planters needed many workers to tend to the indigo fields. However, this posed a challenge because many local laborers were engaged in rice farming during the same period. This meant planters struggled to find willing workers for their indigo crops.

Think of a school that wants to hold a big event on the same day as another famous local event. Most volunteers and helpers would be busy attending the local event, making it hard for the school to find help for their own event.

Nij cultivation on a large scale also required many ploughs and bullocks. One bigha of indigo cultivation required two ploughs. This meant that a planter with 1,000 bighas would need 2,000 ploughs. Investing on purchase and maintenance of ploughs was a big problem. Nor could supplies be easily got from the peasants since their ploughs and bullocks were busy on their rice fields, again exactly at the time that the indigo planters needed them.

Planters faced significant investments to cultivate indigo efficiently. Each plot of land needed two ploughs to cultivate; therefore, someone cultivating a large area would need thousands of ploughs. This prompted a financial burden for planters. Additionally, since local peasants were occupied with their own rice farming and lacked resources to lend, acquiring these necessary tools from them was difficult.

Imagine a contractor needing a fleet of vehicles to carry materials for a construction site. If all local vehicle owners are busy with other jobs, the contractor would need to buy or rent many more vehicles than they initially planned, which may exhaust their budget.

Till the late nineteenth century, planters were therefore reluctant to expand the area under nij cultivation. Less than 25 per cent of the land producing indigo was under this system. The rest was under an alternative mode of cultivation – the ryoti system.

Due to the challenges of acquiring land and mobilizing labor, planters did not aggressively pursue expanding nij cultivation. As a result, by the late 1800s, only about 25% of indigo production was through nij cultivation, with the remainder being produced through the ryoti system, where planters relied on cultivators (ryots) to grow the crop.

It's like a small business struggling to expand its operations due to lack of resources and staff. Instead of trying to grow its own larger physical space, it might instead partner with other local businesses to share resources and customers, similar to how planters had to use the ryoti system.

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