Book Description

The question of growth and stagnation in Indian agriculture over the colonial period which is the subject of this volume, has been central to the debates on the impact of colonialism. The early estimates of George Blyn and Sivasubramoniam offered a gloomy scenario of twentieth century Indian agriculture, with yields failing to keep pace with population. This pessimistic picture was subsequently questioned in two ways. Disputing the reliability of agricultural statistics, historians suggested that no calculation of trends in yields was possible. Others recalculated the figures and doubted the basis of Blyn's pessimism. One commentator, Alan Heston, argued that the apparent downward trend in yields was the result of flawed estimation procedures, and needed to be revised.