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The staple commodities of export by the English East India Company from Bengal in the middle of the 18th century were
Explanation
The English East India Company primarily exported cotton, silk, saltpetre, and opium from Bengal in the mid-18th century[2], making option D the correct answer. Exports from Bengal to Europe consisted of raw products such as saltpetre, rice, indigo, pepper, sugar, silk, cotton textiles, handicrafts, etc.[3] Additionally, European corporate enterprises procured cotton, silk, and mixed cotton and silk textiles in Bengal[4], and textiles accounted for 53.5 percent of total exports to Europe in 1758-60, with textiles from Bengal providing for 40 percent of the cargoes exported to Europe[5]. The other options are incorrect as they either include commodities not primarily associated with Bengal exports during this period (such as zinc, lead, copper, silver, and gold) or omit key staples like silk and saltpetre that were crucial to Bengal's export economy in the mid-18th century.
Sources- [3] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 5: Expansion and Consolidation of British Power in India > Bengal on the Eve of British Conquest > p. 86
- [4] https://www.lse.ac.uk/Economic-History/Assets/Documents/Research/GEHN/GEHNConferences/conf8/PUNEPrakash.pdf
- [5] https://indianexpress.com/article/research/a-fabric-woven-of-air-in-bangladesh-an-attempt-to-resurrect-the-famed-dhakai-muslin-7836140/
PROVENANCE & STUDY PATTERN
Guest previewThis is a foundational Economic History question found verbatim in standard texts like Spectrum and Old NCERT (Bipin Chandra). It tests the 'Mercantile Phase' (1757–1813) trade composition. If you understand that India was a net exporter of finished goods (textiles) and strategic minerals (saltpetre) before the Industrial Revolution peaked, this is a sitter.
This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.
Web source
Presence: 4/5
"The English East India Company primarily exported cotton, silk, saltpetre, and opium from Bengal in the mid-18th century, reflecting a shift in trade dynamics."
Why this source?
- Explicitly names cotton and opium as primary exports from Bengal in the mid-18th century.
- Provides direct support for the claim about cotton and opium, but does not mention oil-seeds (partial match).
Web source
Presence: 4/5
"The European corporate enterprises procured cotton, silk, and mixed cotton and silk textiles in Bengal."
Why this source?
- States that the Company procured cotton, silk, and mixed cotton-and-silk textiles in Bengal, showing cotton/textiles were major exports.
- Corroborates the prominence of cotton-based exports from Bengal to Europe in this period (supports cotton part of the claim).
Web source
Presence: 4/5
"Textiles accounted for 53.5 percent of its total exports to Europe in 1758-60... Textiles from Bengal provided for 40 percent of the cargoes exported to Europe."
Why this source?
- Reports that textiles (largely from Bengal) formed a large share of the Company's exports in the mid-18th century, supporting the importance of cotton textiles.
- Supports the cotton/textiles component but does not mention oil-seeds or opium explicitly.
- Explicitly names cotton and opium as primary exports from Bengal in the mid-18th century.
- Provides direct support for the claim about cotton and opium, but does not mention oil-seeds (partial match).
- States that the Company procured cotton, silk, and mixed cotton-and-silk textiles in Bengal, showing cotton/textiles were major exports.
- Corroborates the prominence of cotton-based exports from Bengal to Europe in this period (supports cotton part of the claim).
- Reports that textiles (largely from Bengal) formed a large share of the Company's exports in the mid-18th century, supporting the importance of cotton textiles.
- Supports the cotton/textiles component but does not mention oil-seeds or opium explicitly.
Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 5: Expansion and Consolidation of British Power in India > Bengal on the Eve of British Conquest > p. 86
Strength: 4/5
“Bengal, the richest province of the Mughal Empire included present day Bangladesh, and its Nawab had authority over the region constituting present day states of Bihar and Odisha. Exports from Bengal to Europe consisted of raw products such as saltpetre, rice, indigo, pepper, sugar, silk, cotton textiles, handicrafts, etc. The English East India Company had vital commercial interests in trading in Bengal, as nearly 60 per cent of the British imports from Asia consisted of goods from Bengal. During the 1630s, regular contact of the British with Bengal continued when they established factories in Balasore, Hooghly, Kasimbazar, Patna and Dacca.”
Why relevant
Lists Bengal exports to Europe as raw products including cotton textiles, silk, indigo, saltpetre, rice and handicrafts — showing Bengal was a major supplier of textile-related goods and other raw/export items.
How to extend
A student could use this to check whether 'raw cotton' (as distinct from finished textiles) and other agricultural exports from Bengal appear in mid‑18th trade records or port manifests.
Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 28: Economic Impact of British Rule in India > View > p. 543
Strength: 4/5
“… for most of the colonial era, the story of India manufacturing was of dispossession, displacement and defeat. What happened to India's textiles was replicated across the board. From the great manufacturing nation described by Sunderland, India became a mere exporter of raw materials and foodstuffs, raw cotton, as well as jute, silk, coal, opium, rice, spices and tea. With the collapse of its manufacturing and the elimination of manufactured goods from its export rosters, India's share of world manufacturing exports fell from 27 per cent to 2 per cent under British rule.”
Why relevant
States that under colonial rule India became an exporter of raw materials including raw cotton and opium among other items (lists opium explicitly).
How to extend
Use this general pattern to investigate whether Bengal specifically was a principal source of opium and raw cotton in the mid‑18th century by consulting regional production/auction data or EIC export lists.
India and the Contemporary World – II. History-Class X . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 3: The Making of a Global World > The testimony of an indentured labourer > p. 67
Strength: 4/5
“many decades.And, as you have read last year, opium shipments to China grew rapidly from the 1820s to become for a while India's single largest export. Britain grew opium in India and exported it to China and, with the money earned through this sale, it financed its tea and other imports from China. Over the nineteenth century, British manufactures flooded the Indian market. Food grain and raw material exports from India to Britain and the rest of the world increased. But the value of British exports to India was much higher than the value of British imports from India. Thus Britain had a 'trade surplus' with India.”
Why relevant
Notes that opium shipments from India to China grew rapidly from the 1820s and became a major export in the 19th century, implying opium was an important colonial commodity though its prominence rises later.
How to extend
Compare mid‑18th Bengal export composition with 19th‑century opium expansion to judge whether opium was already a staple in the mid‑18th or became dominant only later.
India and the Contemporary World – II. History-Class X . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 4: The Age of Industrialisation > 3.2 What Happened to Weavers? > p. 90
Strength: 3/5
“The consolidation of East India Company power after the 1760s did not initially lead to a decline in textile exports from India. British cotton industries had not yet expanded and Indian fine textiles were in great demand in Europe. So the company was keen on expanding textile exports from India.
Before establishing political power in Bengal and Carnatic in the 1760s and 1770s, the East India Company had found it difficult to ensure a regular supply of goods for export. The French, Dutch,”
Why relevant
Indicates that textile exports from India did not immediately decline after the 1760s and that the Company was keen on expanding textile exports — implying continuity of textile/raw‑cotton related trade in the later 18th century.
How to extend
Combine this with regional weaving/production centres in Bengal (e.g., Dacca, Kasimbazar) to infer whether Bengal's exports were more finished textiles or raw cotton in the mid‑18th.
Modern India ,Bipin Chandra, History class XII (NCERT 1982 ed.)[Old NCERT] > Chapter 5: The Structure of the Government and the Economic Policies of the British Empire in India, 1757—1857 > British Economic Policies in India, 1757-1857 > p. 98
Strength: 3/5
“In 1856, India exported £4,300,000 worth of raw cotton, only £810,000 worth of cotton manufactures. £2,900,000 worth of foodgrains, £1,730,000 worth of indigo, and £770,000 worth of raw silk. Thus, the commercial policy of the East India Company after 1813 was guided by the needs of British industry. Its main aim was to transform India into a consumer of British manufactures and a supplier of raw materials. The Drain of Wealth: The British exported to Britain part of India's wealth and resources for which India got no adequate economic or material return. This 'Economic Drain' was peculiar to British rule.”
Why relevant
Shows a 19th‑century pattern where India exported large values of raw cotton to Britain and the Company aimed to import raw materials for British industry.
How to extend
Use the 19th‑century pattern as a rule to test if the shift toward exporting raw cotton (rather than cloth) began in or after the mid‑18th century by checking chronological export data for Bengal.
Lists Bengal exports to Europe as raw products including cotton textiles, silk, indigo, saltpetre, rice and handicrafts — showing Bengal was a major supplier of textile-related goods and other raw/export items.
A student could use this to check whether 'raw cotton' (as distinct from finished textiles) and other agricultural exports from Bengal appear in mid‑18th trade records or port manifests.
States that under colonial rule India became an exporter of raw materials including raw cotton and opium among other items (lists opium explicitly).
Use this general pattern to investigate whether Bengal specifically was a principal source of opium and raw cotton in the mid‑18th century by consulting regional production/auction data or EIC export lists.
Notes that opium shipments from India to China grew rapidly from the 1820s and became a major export in the 19th century, implying opium was an important colonial commodity though its prominence rises later.
Compare mid‑18th Bengal export composition with 19th‑century opium expansion to judge whether opium was already a staple in the mid‑18th or became dominant only later.
Indicates that textile exports from India did not immediately decline after the 1760s and that the Company was keen on expanding textile exports — implying continuity of textile/raw‑cotton related trade in the later 18th century.
Combine this with regional weaving/production centres in Bengal (e.g., Dacca, Kasimbazar) to infer whether Bengal's exports were more finished textiles or raw cotton in the mid‑18th.
Shows a 19th‑century pattern where India exported large values of raw cotton to Britain and the Company aimed to import raw materials for British industry.
Use the 19th‑century pattern as a rule to test if the shift toward exporting raw cotton (rather than cloth) began in or after the mid‑18th century by checking chronological export data for Bengal.
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