Economy of Assam 1857 1947 Dr Tridibsantapa Kundu

Economy of Assam 1857 -1947 Dr. Tridibsantapa Kundu

British Annexation of Assam • 1824 -1826: The British defeated the Burmese and annexed upper Assam leading to the Treaty of Yandaboo • 1828: Lower Assam was annexed • 1832: Khasi king surrendered • 1833: Upper Assam became a British Protectorate • 1839: With the annexation of Maran/Marak the annexation of Assan was complete

Colonial Rule in Assam • 1826 -1873: Bengal Presidency • 1874 -1905: Chief Commissioner’s Province • 1906 -1912: Eastern Bengal and Assam under Lt. Governor • 1912 -1920: Assam Legislative Council • 1921 -1937: Diarchy • 1937 -1947: Assam Legislative Assembly

Economy of Assam • • Tradition of Crafts Petroleum and Natural Gas Tea Plantation Other economic Activities

Traditional Craft Production • • Cane and bamboo, bell metal brass craft, Silk and cotton weaving, Toy and mask making, Pottery and terracotta work, Wood craft, Jewellery making, Assam also excelled in making boats

Oil Discovery in India in the state of ASSAM • 1860 s: oil exploration activities started in Assam • 1867: Oil was first discovered near Makum. • 1889: The first commercial discovery of crude oil in the country was made in at Digboi

Digboi • Asia's first refinery was set up at Digboi in Assam. • The discoverer of this Digboi oilfield was the Assam Railways & Trading Company Limited (AR&T Co. Ltd • Following the discovery of Digboi, systematic drilling began in 1891. • Assam Oil Company (AOC) was formed in 1899 to take over “the petroleum interests of the AR&T Co. Ltd. "

Assam Oil Company Ltd. (AOC) • Assam Oil Company Ltd. (AOC) was one of the earliest enterprises in the world engaged in exploration and production of oil. • 1910: Assam Oil Company was taken over by the BOC (Burmah Oil Company Ltd. founded in 1896) • 1910 – 1930: BOC carried out extensive exploration work in Assam and adjoining areas. • 1937: BOC, Royal Dutch/Shell, and Anglo Iranian Oil Company applied for exploration licensee in India and started geophysical survey. • Due to World War II, all activities were suspended. • Assam Oil is now a division of the Indian Oil Corporation.

Other Mineral Resources • Along with petroleum and natural gas, Assam is endowed with • Coal • limestone • Dolomite • Sillimanite • iron ore

Assam Tea Industry • Assam is famous for its black tea, viz. , Assam Tea. • Assam tea is manufactured specifically from the plant “Camellia Assamica” • It is popular for its body, briskness, malty flavor, and strong, bright colour.

History of Assam Tea • Before the commercialization of tea began in Assam, the leaves of the tea plant were chewed by the local villagers with little or no processing. • Robert Bruce is said to have re-discovered the tea plant growing wild in the region. • According to another account, the Assamese nobleman, Maniram Dewan, introduced Robert Bruce with the plant in 1823. • Before his death in 1825, Robert passed on his knowledge to his brother Charles, who sent seeds of the plant to Calcutta in 1831.

Initiation of Tea Plantation in Assam • 1833: British lost the monopoly of the Tea trade with China • Tea Committee dispatched the secretary George Gordon to China to study the methods and begin tea plantation in Assam. • Gordon returned with the Chinese variety and workers. • It was also found that the local variety of plant was more suited to the local climate. • Crossing with the Chinese tea plant led to Indian hybrid tea, which has great variability and vigour • This has been called the most important evolution of the commercial tea plant.

The Assam Company • 1839: The Assam Company was founded by a deed of the British Parliament • 1845: The company was awarded the Royal Charter by Queen Victoria • The company took the led in tea plantation and processing in Assam.

Birth of Assam Tea Industry • On May 8, 1838 350 pounds (160 kg) of Assam tea were dispatched to London, and sold at India House, London on January 10, 1839. • Drinkers were impressed with the tea, and the tea industry in Assam was born. • Charles Bruce and others, including Maniram Dewan, began clearing the jungles and establishing tea estates. • On February 26, 1858 Maniram Dewan, the sole native tea planter, was hanged on charges of conspiracy and participation in the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 against the British. • Thereafter, the tea plantation in Assam was dominated solely by the British planters.

Initial Growth of Tea Industry • 1838: Govt. set up rules for leasing out land to plantation companies_ the terms were very liberal and liberalized further over time • 1886 s: A period of tea mania • Though the boom did not last long for lack of good labour, experience, transportation, good land poor quality of tea

Growth Continued • Problem of transportation was iron out by a series of railway projects which connected the tea producing areas with Calcutta • Steamer service was also extended

Growth of the Tea Estates Year Tea Plantation Area (acres) 1880 154, 000 1900 337, 000 1901 502, 000 1921 715, 000

Capital & Marketing • Tea sales were made through auctions at Calcutta and London • The broker firms sampled, inspected, tested and valued tea from the planters • The brokers brought tea to the auctions • They gave advances to the tea growers

Major Tea Firms • • Andrew Yule Mc. Leod Begg-Dunlop (merged with Mc. Leod) Jardin-Skinner Shaw Wallace Davenport Duncan Brothers

Ownership Pattern • Ownership of tea estates was overwhelmingly Europeans • Calcutta based British managing agent firms controlled the majority of the estates and the largest of them • Bengali capitalists entered the industry quite early but never dominated it • They lacked enough resources • They actually operated at the poorer quality range aimed at domestic consumers

Labour • 1843: The Chinese staff imported earlier for the cultivation of tea left Assam • Tea plantations came to be tended by local labor • 1860 -1900: Central Indian labor was imported for the tea plantations, mainly from Chota Nagpur and other districts of Greater Bengal • Labours were recruited by licensed labour contractors (“arkattis”) • Sometimes, senior workers or “sarders” also recruited labours

Condition of Working • The journey to the plantation was hazardous • The wages of the workers were only slightly higher than the real income of agricultural labourers and usually less than those of factory or mine workers • Poor quality of life in the tea estates • Condition improved from about 1900