Question

Who profits from jute cultivation, according to the jute growers’ lament? Explain.

Answer 1

The jute growers lamented that only traders and moneylenders benefited from jute cultivation, not the growers. Peasants in Bengal cultivated raw jute, which was processed in factories and exported in the shape of gunny bags.

They grew raw jute in the hope that better times would arrive and exports would increase. But this did not happen because gunny exports collapsed due to the depression. Because of a surplus in the local market, the price of raw jute dropped by more than 60%, forcing them into deep debt. Thus, only traders and moneylenders benefited from jute cultivation, not farmers.